Kundé is an annual music awards ceremony held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. It recognizes artists and musical works from Burkina Faso and other parts of Africa. The awards were established in 2001 and are organized by the Kundé General Secretariat (Commissariat général des Kundé), which Salfo Soré, also known as Jah Press, headed for many years.
The awards cover categories including traditional music, religious music, modern music influenced by traditional styles, music videos, female artists, emerging artists, and collaborations. They also recognize artists from other African countries, members of the Burkinabè diaspora, and international artists based in Burkina Faso. The Kundé d'Or (Golden Kundé) is awarded to the Burkinabè Artist of the Year. The ceremony is generally held on the last Friday of April. The 2020 ceremony was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequent ceremonies returned to the annual schedule.
History
The project that later became Kundé was initiated by Salfo Soré, better known by his pseudonym Jah Press, in partnership with Sol Touré, a former radio host at Radio Pulsar in Ouagadougou. It was conceived in 1996 under the name Balafons d'Or with the aim of recognizing and promoting Burkinabè and African music.
In 1999, Jah Press met with Culture Minister Mahamoudou Ouédraogo, who suggested replacing the name Balafons d'Or with one that would better reflect Burkina Faso's ethnic diversity. The suggestion was partly based on the association of the balafon with the country's southwestern region. Jah Press subsequently selected the name Kundé after researching the term at the National Museum of Music. Kundé is a Mooré name for a three-string guitar found in several regions of Burkina Faso. The first edition was held on 9 February 2001, five years after the project was conceived, following a delay attributed to an insufficient number of musical releases. By 2001, Sol Touré had moved to the United States.
Organization The Kundé General Secretariat (Commissariat général des Kundé) organizes and coordinates the awards under Bizart Productions. It is headquartered in Cité An II, at 72 Avenue Georges Tassembédo in Ouagadougou.
The Secretariat is headed by Jah Press, who serves as the general commissioner (Commissaire général). Other principal members include Boureima Djiga, commissioner for selection (Commissaire à la sélection); Ismaïla Zongo, artistic commissioner (Commissaire artistique); Maguy Leslie Oka, commissioner for public relations and marketing (Commissaire aux relations publiques et au marketing); Gervais Somda, also known as Mister Pee, commissioner for administration and logistics (Commissaire à l'administration et à la logistique); and Boukary Ouédraogo, also known as Almamy Becker, communications officer (Chargé de communication).
Selection and venues The selection process uses an annual eligibility period known as the "Kundé year" (année des Kundé). Eligible works are generally required to have been released between 1 March of the preceding year and the end of February of the award year. An observatory of music professionals and media representatives monitors musical releases and their commercial and media performance and contributes to the selection of nominees in the various categories.
For the 2014 edition, organizers stated that eligible artists were expected to have released a work during the eligibility period, achieved commercial or media success, and performed several concerts. The number of musical works considered by the awards increased over time. Organizers reported 286 eligible works in 2013, 298 in 2014, 399 in 2015, and 459 in 2016. In 2026, they reported 1,331 works, the highest number reported for an edition of the awards.
Ouagadougou is the host city for the Kundé ceremony. The inaugural ceremony was held at Ciné Neerwaya in 2001. The Salle des Banquets de Ouaga 2000 hosted the Kundé ceremonies in 2002–2007, 2013–2017, and 2023–2026. The site of the International Arts and Crafts Fair of Ouagadougou (Salon international de l'artisanat de Ouagadougou; SIAO) hosted the ceremonies in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The Palais des Sports de Ouaga 2000 hosted the ceremonies in 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019, and 2021. Categories Kundé are divided into two groups: main awards (prix principaux) and special awards (prix spéciaux). The Kundé General Secretariat lists 10 main categories and five special categories. Honorary and tribute Kundé awards may also be presented separately. The categories may be adjusted according to the musical production of the relevant "Kundé year". +Main awardsKundé d'OrBest Female ArtistBest Traditional Music ArtistBest Religious Music ArtistBest Modern Song Inspired by Traditional MusicMost Played Artist in NightclubsBest Music VideoRevelation of the YearHope of the YearBest Burkinabè Collaboration (featuring) +Special awardsBest Burkinabè Artist of the DiasporaBest Foreign Artist Living in Burkina FasoBest West African ArtistBest Central African ArtistBest African Integration Collaboration Earlier editions also included an East African Artist category, which was present in 2015 but absent from the five-category special-award structure published in 2016.
Honorary and tribute awards The Kundé also presents Kundé d'honneur and Kundé d'hommage awards. These are separate from the competitive categories and recognize artists and other contributors for their work in African music. The number and types of honorary awards change from year to year, with recipients recognized for their careers, emerging talent, or significant achievements.
Voting The Kundé has used both jury assessment and public voting, with the system varying by edition. In the 2014 and 2018 editions, the jury accounted for 75% of the Kundé d'Or result and the public vote for 25%. Kundé commissioner Jah Press said that the jury used defined criteria, which could produce a result different from the public vote.
The Kundé also has a separate Kundé du public (Public Award). Consequently, the artist receiving the largest share of the public vote does not necessarily win the Kundé d'Or. In 2014, Bil Aka Kora received 76% of the public vote, while Alif Naaba won the Kundé d'Or under the jury-based weighting system. In 2018, Abibou Sawadogo received 63.28% of the public vote and won the Kundé du public, while Hawa Boussim won the Kundé d'Or after the jury's assessment.
Public voting has been conducted by mobile phone. In 2002, voting took place through press organizations, production companies, bars and dance clubs, the Burkina Faso Copyright Office (Bureau burkinabè du droit d'auteur; BBDA), and electronic voting. In 2003, the organizers partnered with the IT company NetAccess to enable Internet voting. In 2014, voting took place through the Airtel network. By 2021, the Public Award used Orange SMS voting, with voters sending codes corresponding to the nominees.
Editions
2001 The first edition took place on 9 February 2001 at Ciné Neerwaya in Ouagadougou. CategoryWinnerKundé d'OrSolo Dja KabacoBest Artist of All TimeGeorges OuédraogoBest Modern Song Inspired by Traditional MusicBil Aka KoraMost Played Artist in NightclubsSolo Dja KabacoBest Music Video"Bi Tiélou" (Solo Dja Kabaco)Revelation of the YearZMOBest Female ArtistAmity MériaBest West African Artist (Special Prize)Magic System (Côte d'Ivoire)
2002
The second edition was held on 6 April 2002 at the Salle des Banquets de Ouaga 2000 and was organized by Bizart Production. Five new categories were introduced, including Best West African Artist, Best Foreign Artist Living in Burkina Faso, and Best Caribbean Artist. The edition also introduced the Kundé d'Hommage (Honorary Kundé), which recognized artists for their contributions to Burkinabè music. The Honorary Kundé was awarded to Black So Man, who had died the previous month.
The ceremony opened with a performance by the group Africando. The General Commission of Kundé recognized Moussa Kaboré of Bazar Musique and Seydou Richard Traoré, CEO of Seydoni Productions, for their support of Burkinabè music. Burkinabè fashion designer Coraille presented a fashion show. Guests included Burkina Faso's First Lady, Chantal Compaoré, who was the patron of the ceremony, and Minister of Arts and Culture Mahamoudou Ouédraogo. +TypeCategoryWinnerMain AwardKundé d'OrBil Aka KoraBest Male Traditional ArtistZougnazagmdaBest Modern Song Inspired by Traditional MusicBil Aka KoraMost Played Artist in NightclubsSonia Carré d'AsBest Music Video"Silmandé" (Pascal Kaboré)Revelation of the YearPascal KaboréBest Female ArtistSami RamaSpecial PrizeBest Burkinabè Artist in the DiasporaFouni FayaBest West African ArtistAfricandoBest Central African ArtistWerrason (Democratic Republic of the Congo)Best Caribbean Artist Jacky Rapon (French Antilles)Best Foreign Artist Living in Burkina FasoAl Tchengo (Cameroon)Kundé d'HommageTribute AwardBlack So ManKundé d'HonneurHonorary AwardMoussa KaboréSeydou Richard Traoré
2003
The third edition, initially scheduled for 5 April 2003, was postponed to 30 April 2003 and held at the Salle des Banquets de Ouaga 2000 under the patronage of Chantal Compaoré. The postponement was attributed to insufficient sponsorship to meet the 40 million CFA franc budget and to the inability of the Cultural Initiatives Support Programs (Programmes de soutien aux initiatives culturelles; PSIC), a major partner, to provide assistance to the General Secretariat. +TypeCategoryWinnerMain AwardKundé d'OrGeorges OuédraogoBest Male Traditional ArtistKisto KoinbréBest Female Traditional ArtistAbibou SawadogoBest Modern Song Inspired by Traditional Music"Ba-Yir-Deem" (Georges Ouédraogo)Most Played Artist in NightclubsYeleenBest Music Video"Apouri" (Bil Aka Kora)Revelation of the YearYeleenBest Female ArtistJeanne BicabaSpecial AwardBest Burkinabè Artist in the DiasporaAly VerhuteyBest West African ArtistSalif Keita (Mali)Best Central African ArtistExtra Musica (Republic of the Congo)Best Caribbean ArtistAlan Cavé (Haiti)Best Francophone Song"Seul" (Garou)Best Foreign Artist Living in Burkina FasoLennox & D (Trinidad and Tobago)Kundé d'HonneurHonorary AwardG.G. Vickey
2004
On 24 March 2004, the Kundé organizing committee met with the press to discuss preparations for the fourth edition and the nominated artists. The organizers reported a budget of 50 million CFA francs. The fourth edition introduced the Kundé for Integration and the Kundé for Best Director. The former was intended to encourage artists to promote peace and subregional integration, while the latter recognized technicians involved in music video production. By 27 April, the budget had not yet been fully secured, although preparations were continuing. The fourth edition was held on 30 April 2004 at the Salle des Banquets de Ouaga 2000 and was covered by Radio France Internationale and TV5Monde. The ceremony included performances by veteran artists, including Bailly Spinto and Tabu Ley Rochereau. +TypeCategoryWinnerMain AwardKundé d'OrAmity MériaBest Male Traditional ArtistZongo AdamaBest Female Traditional ArtistNana BibataBest Modern Song Inspired by Traditional Music"Bondomayé" (Kindiss)Most Played Artist in NightclubsSofaaBest Music Video"Papa Noel" (Madson Junior)Revelation of the YearWedyackBest Female ArtistAmity MériaBest Burkinabè Artist in the DiasporaAlif NaabaBest West African ArtistRicos Campos (Benin)Best Central African ArtistBarbara Kanam (Democratic Republic of the Congo)Best Caribbean ArtistPatrick Andrey Mitram (Martinique)Special AwardBest Francophone Song"Laisse parler les gens" (Jocelyne Labylle, Cheela, Passi and Jacob Desvarieux)Integration Award"Abénan" (Meiway)Best DirectorSeydoni Production — "Samedi sera" by SofaaKundé d'HonneurHonorary Award for pioneers and promoters of Burkinabè hip-hopGérard Evo Koala; Gervais Somda (Mister Pi); SmockeyKundé d'HommageTribute AwardSylvain Mosac Demé; Yaya Popsy Diallo
2005