For the first time ever, the face of Nickelodeon Africa, Lerai Rakoditsoe will be in Los Angeles to host the official 2023 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards (KCAs) Africa Special, bringing a distinct home-grown flavour to the proceedings from the infamous KCAs orange carpet, engaging with fan-favourites, actors, singers, content creators and sports stars amongst other celebrities, said Dillon Khan Vice President of Paramount Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Viacom International Studios & Creative Services for Africa.
The annual award ceremony celebrates children's top choices in entertainment media, and the kids vote on the winners in each category.
Last year, more than 1.3 million votes were cast by African children, demonstrating that kids want their voices to be heard, and care about their local stars. Not only is it one of the only awards shows to recognise kids’ opinions on the year’s top content and stars, but it has given African stars a global platform to shine.
The KCAs is one of the defining staples of kids' entertainment. New-age kids and parents are excited to bond over who will win coveted awards such as the Favourite African Star and Favourite African Kidfluencer categories, a firm favourite on the KCA line-up, and have been won by South African musicians Makhadzi and the late AKA, Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah and Ghanaian dancehall singer Stonebwoy.
These categories are important because they ensure that African talent is represented at international awards shows – something that Paramount Africa continuously champions in order to create viable opportunities for African talent in the entertainment industry across the board.
In a Paramount study The World According to Kids, which surveyed almost 6,000 kids aged 6 to 11 in 18 countries, we asked kids a simple yet significant question: How would you describe the world in three words?
While there were a lot of words used by kids to describe the world, the three most common responses were “big”, “fun” and “beautiful”.
This tells us that kids have an overwhelmingly positive view of the world, which is partly due to the content they watch and the role models they have.
Recognising these role models and allowing kids to contribute to that recognition, reinforces their view of the world and communicates that their opinions matter, their role models matter and they matter.
It’s no secret that modern-day kids are extremely tech-savvy, and the same research revealed that among kids 6 to 11, 60% use a social platform.
Kids become more likely to use social media as they get older – half of the 6-year-olds, rising to 72% at age 11. They mainly watch videos (64%) or look at others’ posts (33%), and 18% post their own content.
This activity sets the premise for entrepreneurial child stars like 2023 KCA Kidfluencer nominees: YouTuber Alakhe Mdoda, young prodigy Lethukuthula Bhengu, dancer, singer, and social media influencer Rethabile Mokgatla, social media sensation Siba Bogopa, multiple-award-winning and officially The World’s Youngest DJ, DJ Arch JNR, and Nigeria’s favourite Unidentical Duo twin models Olianna and Olivia, who are being recognised for having gained a considerable online following by creating child-centric content on social media.
Whether they’re watching ground-breaking programs such as “SpongeBob SquarePants” in isiZulu, “Paw Patrol” or “Twisted Timeline of Sammy and Raj”, the kid nominees honoured by the KCAs inspire today's kid-entertainment trend-setting trajectory.
Children are no longer the "when I grow up I want to change the world” generation, they change the world as they grow up.
Vote for your fave #KCA nominees at kca.nickelodeonafrica.com entries close on March 4, 2023.
Catch the Awards on Wednesday, 8 March at 16:00 CAT on NickToons, DStv Channel 308
Follow @nickelodeon_africa (Instagram), @NickelodeonAfrica (Facebook) for more information.