The British Academy, founded in 1947, has as its fundamental aim to recognise those who had contributed outstanding creative work towards the advancement of British film and television.
Yearly BAFTA awards honour the achievements in key categories in film and television, including acting, directing, production, digital effects, editing, design, camerawork, makeup and costume, scripts, photography, sound, and original music score.
This year, the music score for the BBC-TV drama series, "Moses Jones", has received a nomination for it's composer, Craig Pruess, in the "Best Original Television Music" category: http://www.bafta.org/awards/television-craft/nominations,1081,BA.html#jump8
BAFTA Awards ceremony takes place on May 23rd in London, in the presence of many of the elite and decorated in the film and television business. With the nomination for "Moses Jones", it is, indeed, a great day for Uganda music!
Now, besides being a film composer ("Bend It Like Beckham", "Bride and Prejudice" and "It's a Wonderful Afterlife"), Craig Pruess is also a full time GANDA BOY (www.gandaboys.com), co-founder and band member of this emerging African fusion band. And it was during the making of the award winning "Moses Jones" TV series that Craig met and first worked with the other two parts of the dynamic Ganda Boys triumvirate, Denis Mugagga and Daniel Sewagudde. These three have been powering the development of the Ganda Boys project, including their charity organisation, the Ganda Foundation (www.gandafoundation.com).
It was "Moses Jones" - the sheer energy and dynamism of the live African fusion band sequences on film - that lit the spark for the Ganda Boys.
And now with top media recognition of this genuine and gutsy breakthrough BBC programme, the Ganda Boys are coming to the greater attention of the arts, TV and film community. As 2007 Turner Prize nominated artist, Zarina Bhimji (who was born and raised in Uganda), said after seeing the full Ganda Boys band concert at the Almeida Theatre, London, in August 2009: "I loved the concert and loved the fact that it was poetic and yet battled with African themes in a fervent way, which made it both fun and raw at the same time. The Ganda Boys are fantastic, and I'm very proud that this music has come from Uganda."
The music of "Moses Jones" was also nominated by a Royal Television Society Award in November 2009 for "Best Original Music Score" and is still talked about in the general media community in Britain. "Moses Jones" producer, Cameron Roach, won an international EMMY Award in 2009 for producing "Life on Mars".
The significance of a BAFTA nomination cannot be underestimated. Both the music for "Moses Jones" and the Ganda Boys are creating an honest and powerful communication for African unity, harmonious world community values, and a penetrating dose of African truth - a timeless message of peace and justice for all.
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