Barefoot In The Sand, Atongo Zimba’s new album has won two awards at the 7th MokumTV Music of the World Awards ceremony held in Amsterdam, Holland on January 1.

The Ghanaian fiddler won in the Best African CD and Album of the Year categories. The annual celebration has become a fixture on the world music calendar and voting is internet-based.

The MokumTV Awards annually honours recording artists that came out with outstanding albums in the field of world music, irrespective of their worldwide sales figures.

A statement from Damba Multimedia Limited, representatives of Hippo Records, Atongo’s label, and signed by its Managing Director, Abdul-Hameed Ibrahim said they were proud of Atongo’s international visibility and hoped the awards would inspire Ghanaian artists in general to aspire to higher heights.

It thanked all who participated in the internet polls and added “you have raised the flag of Ghana higher and taken African music a step further on the international scene.

Other CDs in contention for the Best African CD award were Afriki by Malian guitarist Habib Koite & Bamada, Made In Dakar by Senegalese Afro-Cuban band Orchestra Baobab and Segu Blue by the Malian musician, Bassekou Kouyate.

For the Album of the Year award, Atongo vied with top contenders including Manu Chao, the French-born singer of Spanish origin and Amadou & Mariam, the blind musical duo from Mali.

Other categories where winners were also declared were Best Asia/Pacific, Best Europe, Best Middle Eastern and North African, Best The Americanas, Best Newcomer, Best World Music Legend and Best Historic Re-release.

Barefoot In The Sand is a 11-track collection released last year in Holland. It is a follow-up to Atongo’s Savannah Breeze album containing the No Beer In Heaven track which came out in 2005.

By Nii Laryea Korley