By Alhaji Kamara
As the 3rd annual National Entertainment Award (NEA-2019) nomination nears its closing date, Chief Brima Keita, a successful politician and entrepreneur with one of the biggest construction companies in Sierra Leone, has been appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Voting Panel for NEA 2019. Chief Keita will work alongside with 25 other members, hereby referred to as industry professionals.
There would be 2 representatives from the various sectors like Film Union, Music Union/All Stars, Fashion and Pageantry Union, Sports Writers Association, Comedy Union, DJs Union, the Diaspora Entertainer reps, etc. The panel will constitutes the above mentioned sectoral representations to continue to ensure fairness and credibility as the bedrock for the successful implementation of the National Entertainment Award in Sierra Leone.
Brima Keita is a well-established entertainer who has been supporting the Sierra Leone entertainment industry for quite a long time. He commands huge respect and personality in and out of Sierra Leone. Despite being a politician, he has always been a promoter and fervent financial supporter of entertainment from the background. He was one of the longest serving Vice Chairmen of E.E Lions football club, current Board Chairman of LAKE Production (SL) Limited, former Board Chairman of the National Sports Achievers Association (NSAA), a successful former Chairman in the Western Regional of the governing Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP).
Mr. Keita holds a BSC in Marketing and Project Management and in Civil and Construction Studies from the National Association of Power Engineering in Washington DC. His company is registered with the Sierra Leone Association of Engineers. He is also a member of the National Association of Home Builders in Washington DC.
He is the 3rd person to serve in this position, previously held by Dr. Julius Spencer in 2017 – the former Minister of Information and Communication, and Mr. Brima Sheriff in 2018 – the former Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone. They have all successfully served the entertainment industry in various capacities.
The Chairman of the Board or Panel is tasked with the responsibility to ensure the smooth running of the vetting and voting processes of the Nominees, independently. He will monitor all voting from online to SMS. Chief Keita and 25 other members to constitute the panel will have to make their independent nominations by filling the Nomination Forms, latest the 26th September 2019. Official appointment letters have already been sent to the various entertainment sectors to select and send their representatives to the Panel.
LAKE Productions and its organising partners are working tirelessly to ensure they deliver a classic award ceremony in Africa. The goal is to bring the flavours of the BET, Grammy, Oscars, Headies, Afrima, etc to Sierra Leone. LAKE has brought in top-notch professionals that will produce the event on the 23rd December 2019 at the Five Star Golden Tulip Kimbima Hotel in Aberdeen, Freetown.
