Teranga Movies Award Second Edition
Last night was wild. Strike that! Yesterday was wild.
I had a full busy day. Originally I was only supposed to go to my tailors, then drop at my Alma Mater's BBQ, then go do some mani pedi with my best friend. Just before I was to go for mani pedi, a friend of mine called to say that she had tickets to the Teranga Movie Awards.
Teranga Movies awards is this award show that started barely two years ago. It was created by the "Cinéma 221" association, whose founding members are Senegalese cinema professionals. It is to promote Senegalese cinema and TV, but also to celebrate its actors, technicians, producers. Two years ago, I went to the first edition with my friend. We had a grand of a time, although to be frank, the event was a tad small. Last year, due to corona, it did not happen.
When I heard about it, I wanted to go because I thought it would be fun to see all the local stars. Yet, I realised that it would be hard to go attend a BBQ in the morning and go again for an event at night. I am not 20 anymore. Therefore I had given up on the idea. Until I got the ticket last minute. I immediatly asked my BFF to join me. We were getting our feet done at HLM market. She also wanted me to get a professional make up done. But we were pressed for time and the place was packed so we left to get ready for the award show.
The show was set at the Grand Theatre, the biggest and fanciest event hall we have in the city right now. It was supposed to start at 7:00 but we got there around 10:00. People were already seated and enjoying some short movies. The place was not fully packed but I could already spot some celebrities here and there.
The award show was very interesting and an upgrade from the first edition. It also had more sponsors and last minute contribution from the president of the country himself. Furthermore, the show was also more organised than the last time. This time, they had two presentators and even hostesses with matching gowns and interesting African hair styles. I even noticed that the trophees were nicer. On top of that, we had super performances from up and coming artists. We also watched several short movies. My favorite was this one called "L'Homme Vierge" or the Virgin man, which inverted the gender roles. It was about a man who was no longer a virgin, begging his best friend to "lend" him his virginity on his wedding night . It was hilarious because no man in this country has ever felt the need to stay virgin for his wedding night while women are constantly reminded that it is a virtue. It was also interesting because it was a nod to another movie I watched when I was a child, about a woman who lended her best friend her virginity on her wedding night. I cannot explain, y'all have to watch it to understand. Anyway the entire place was roaring with laughter while watching it, showing how really absurd this double standard on virginity is.
This year also, there were several granted awards not only to actors but also to custom designer, make up artists, sound makers, photography and such. Even though it was the series which was awarded, it really showcase the will of the Teranga Movie Awards to really include everyone working hard on the business. The hero of the night was the series "Derapages" which won several awards included Best actress. I used to watch it back in season 1. I did like it at the beginning but grew tired at the naivete of the heroin.
Actually I barely knew all the recipients of awards. My best friend kept cheering and clapping and telling me who was who. Mind you I rarely watch senegalese series. I have nothing against them. They are interesting and well exectuted for some. There was a time I would watch Derapages, Golden and Maitresse d'un Homme Marie (Mistress of a married man). However, some of them trigger me. I get angry after watching them because they deal with all the scourge of our society. I am super busy. And when I get time to unwind I want to watch something that will relax me and not anger or depress me. The other reason why I do not watch them is that I am used to binge watching shows because of Netflix whereas most Senegalese show comes out twice a week. I sometimes miss an episode or two and rarely go back.
Overall I had fun watching the Teranga Movie Awards. I was in good company, dressed to the nine and looked good. I also enjoyed the performances. But the show had a few technical glitches here and there that affected it. It also dragged into the night. It was after 1 AM when it ended. I really hope that the third edition, they work more on organisation because it is a promising show. It would not be fair to compare it to the Oscars. But I pray and hope that one day the Teranga Movie Awards will get to the same level or higher. It would be beneficial not only for the people working in the cinema industry but also the entire country. And now let me go and check some of the shows that won.
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