''Idols West Africa'' is the
West African version of the
Idol series franchise. Based in
Nigeria, it is a talent contest to find a recording artiste, and aired on
M-Net in 2007. Like the
Pan-Arab
Pan-Arabism ( ar, الوحدة العربية or ) is an ideology that espouses the unification of the countries of North Africa and Western Asia from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea, which is referred to as the Arab world. It is closely c ...
entry to the series, the show incorporated countries throughout the West African region.
Season 1
The show is presented in
English, hosted by Mike Majic. The three judges are: Nigerian
Dede Mabiaku,
Ghanaian Abrewa Nana and
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
Dan Foster.
Themes
April 2: My Idol
April 9: Old School
April 16: Current Hits
April 23: 80s & 90s
April 30: African Songs
May 7: My Idols
May 14: Producer's Choice
May 21: Ultimate Wishlist
May 27: Grand Finale
Finals elimination chart
Criticism
Despite the title, the show was dubbed '
Nigerian Idol' by the public. Most of the finalists - bar Liberian Jerrilyn Mulbar - were Nigerian. Most of the auditions were held in Nigerian cities (
Lagos,
Calabar and
Abuja
Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...
). Only one West African city outside Nigeria -
Accra
Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
- hosted them.
Dan Foster was criticized for not showing up at the
Ghana auditions. Fellow judge Dede Mabiaku (popularly known as the Nigerian
Simon Cowell) also came under fire for his attitude towards an auditionee who had arrived clad in white
briefs in a bid to imitate his hero
Fela Kuti
Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the p ...
. Viewers were shocked to hear Mabiaku call the auditionee a liar, and accuse him of being on "
some wrong pills". Foster attempted to calm Mabiaku, who continued to yell insults at the auditionee before asking him to leave, without giving the other judges a chance to vote either "Yes" or "No"
The winner of the series, Timi Dakolo, is yet to release his debut album with
Sony BMG
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
, as announced by the producers of the show.
I Never Thought I'd Play Music For a Living
/ref>
References
External links
Official Site
Idol Finalists
Idols (franchise)
2007 Nigerian television series debuts
Television series by Fremantle (company)
2007 Nigerian television series endings
2000s Nigerian television series
Cultural depictions of Fela Kuti
Non-British television series based on British television series
M-Net original programming
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