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Moroccan media stalwart Ouadih Dada and international host Sophy Aiida from Cameroon will host the CAF Awards 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco, on Monday, December 11.
The duo will be on stage for the prestigious annual event that will honour Africa’s finest talent for the period December 2022 to November 2023 in the women’s category and November 2022 to September 2023 in the men’s classification.
“I am very excited about hosting the CAF Awards in my country – Morocco. Marrakech has gone through a lot since the earthquake in September this year, and to be here to welcome and celebrate Africa means so much to us as a people,” Dada explained to CAFOnline.com on Sunday.
Dada, who is the Chief Editor at 2M – the main television channel in Morocco and author of Dans l’oeil du lion (In the eyes of the lion), will bring a touch of Morocco to the event as the continent’s finest come together.
With his family origin from the small town of Bhalil in the center of Morocco – 20km from the spiritual city and former capital Fès, Dada is a household name in the Moroccan media space excited to co-host the CAF Awards 2023.
He said, “We have enjoyed a burst of success in recent years, especially reaching the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup last year in Qatar. This was history for our country – a memorable occasion that we shall remember for a very long time. So to be here a year later with the opportunity to celebrate this achievement at the CAF Awards is a historic moment for me and our country.”
This is the second year in a row that Morocco is the host of the prestigious CAF Awards with last year’s event happening in the administrative capital – Rabat.
Aiida, whose on-stage brilliance brings her back to the continental stage a year later, is thrilled to be specifically in Marrakech.
“Every time I come to Marrakech, I feel at home because of the red clay on all the buildings in the city. It reminds me of my villages back home in Cameroon as the Bamileke Tribe in both Bamendjou and Bangou, we also have red clay on our houses. There is a strong connection between the two towns.
“Not long ago in September, there was an earthquake here. I have family that live here in Marrakech, and I remember them telling us about the ground opening in front of them and having to sleep in the compound because they were afraid of sleeping in the house in case the earthquake happened while they were sleeping.
“To see Marrakech back on her feet is a story of resilience and we express solidarity with the people of Morocco through all this. We feel their pain and hurt and we are together in this. To see and experience how warm the people of Marrakech are, is heartwarming. Life is back. We are Africans and are stronger than anything. We keep going strong.
“This is a celebration of African excellence. The best of the best are here for the CAF Awards. We are one Africa. It is about time the world sees the excellence that we have. Our time is now,” Aiida said with gratitude on her face.
Aiida and Dada are set to light up the CAF Awards 2023 that will be held at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Morocco at 1800hrs GMT.
