''Idols West Africa'' is the

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

n version of the

Idol series ''Idol'' (also known as ''SuperStar'' in some countries) is a reality television singing competition format created by British television producer Simon Fuller and developed by Fremantle. The format began in 2001 with the British television se ...

franchise. Based in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, it is a talent contest to find a recording artiste, and aired on

M-Net M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

in 2007. Like the Pan-Arab entry to the series, the show incorporated countries throughout the West African region.

Season 1

The show is presented in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, hosted by Mike Majic. The three judges are: Nigerian Dede Mabiaku,

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

ian Abrewa Nana and American 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 ''Nigerian Idol'' is the local version of the Idol series franchise. It is the second Idol franchise for the country as it was already part of Idols West Africa which was also shot and produced in Stockholm, Sweden. The show started with its ...

' by the public. Most of the finalists - bar Liberian Jerrilyn Mulbar - were Nigerian. Most of the auditions were held in Nigerian cities (

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and c ...

and Abuja). Only one West African city outside Nigeria - Accra - hosted them. Dan Foster was criticized for not showing up at the

auditions. Fellow judge Dede Mabiaku (popularly known as the Nigerian

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...

) also came under fire for his attitude towards an auditionee who had arrived clad in white

briefs Briefs (or a brief) are a type of short, form-fitting underwear and swimwear, as opposed to styles where material extends down the thighs. Briefs have various different styles, usually with a waistband attached to fabric that runs along the pe ...

in a bid to imitate his hero Fela Kuti. 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, 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 {{reality-tv-prog-stub