Georges Collinet, a native of Cameroon in West Africa, is one of the best-known and best-loved broadcasters on the African continent. Based in the U.S. for more than 25 years, Collinet's French and English language music programs broadcast to Africa via the Voice of America have entertained millions of devoted fans. Wherever he travels in Africa, he is acknowledged by musicians and the public alike as a favorite son of the continent. He is in constant demand to emcee prestigious media and arts awards ceremonies, and he travels frequently to his beloved continent.

Born and raised in Cameroon, then educated in France, Collinet came to the U.S. in 1959 to produce a film and ended up staying. As he puts it, "The film didn't work out, but the country worked on me so well that I stayed."

A warm, relaxed music enthusiast, Collinet worked with African musicians in Paris during the '70s and early '80s, supporting their efforts to retain African roots in their music and to develop a distinctive professional sound. He co-founded the first journal in Paris devoted to contemporary African music and co-created the Maracas D'Or, the equivalent of the Grammys for African music.

Collinet's interests are as diverse as his background. In addition to hosting PRI's successful "Afropop Worldwide" series, he hosts two television programs broadcast to Africa. Collinet has hosted and produced several films on development issues in Africa, and traveled to Cameron, Mali, Niger, Uganda, Madagascar and elsewhere to work with local media professionals and artists on creating effective messages on issues important to those countries. He is currently developing a news magazine on Africa for television.

Little-known facts about George

He hosts two television programs broadcast to Africa, has hosted and produced several films on development issues in Africa. He's traveled to Cameron, Mali, Niger, Uganda, Madagascar and elsewhere to work with local media professionals and artists to assist in creating effective messages on issues important to those countries.

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