Own Africavision Song Contest 10

Own Africavision Song Contest 10, often referred to as OAfSC #10, is the 10th edition of Own Africavision Song Contest. The contest took place in Oxbow and Semonkong, Lesotho, following following the country's victory in the 9th edition with the song "Thula" Daniel Baron feat. John Tsenoli & Zinah. It was the first time Lesotho had hosted the contest. Organised by the Own African Union of Broadcasting and host broadcaster Lesotho National Broadcasting Service, the contest was held at two different locations, and consisted of a quarter-final, two semi-finals and the final. The quarter-final and the semi-finals took place at the Afriski Resort in Oxbow, while the final at the Maletsunyane Falls, Semonkong. The four live shows were hosted by Mandisa Bardill and Letsie III.

A record of fifty countries participated in the contest. Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea, Niger, Réunion and South Sudan returned to the competition, while Djibouti, Ethiopia, Liberia, Mali, Republic of the Congo and Uganda withdrew for various reasons.

Location
Further information on the host country: Lesotho

Host City
Oxbow is an area in northern Lesotho. It is the home of Oxbow part of the Butha-Buthe region of Lesotho and has an approximate population of 10,000 people. The resort is centred around the Oxbow Lodge where accommodation is available for visiting tourists. The area experiences its coldest time during the winter months of July and August. During this time the slopes in the surrounding nature are covered in snow and bring with it many fun-filled outdoor activities such as skiing.

When Oxbow is not covered in snow, the area is well-known for its pony-trekking and trout fishing activities. Some of visitors who use this area as a getaway destination are kings, queens, prime ministers and chiefs.

Semonkong is a community council located in the Maseru District of Lesotho. Semonkong, meaning "Place of Smoke", situated about 115km southeast of Maseru, was established in the 1880s as a refuge for Basotho displaced by the Gun War. It is located close to several major natural features, including the Maletsunyane Falls and the 3096-metre peak of Thaba Putsoa. The population in 2006 was 7,781.

The community of Semonkong includes the villages of Boitumelo, Ha Farelane, Ha Khonyeli, Ha Lentiti, Ha Lepae, Ha Lesala, Ha Lesia, Ha Leteketa, Ha Mateketa, Ha Moahloli, Ha Moahloli (Qoang), Ha Moahloli (Thusong), Ha Moqibi, Ha Motšoane, Ha Phallang, Ha Ramabanta, Ha Rasefale, Ha Seqhoasho, Ha Sethuoa-Majoe, Ha Sikeme, Ha Tlalinyana (Likoeneng), Ha Tšitso, Letlapeng, Letšeng, Mabote, Mantorina, Meeling, Moriting, Mosoang, Motse-Mocha, Pontšeng, Sekhutlong, Thaba-Chitja, Tsekana, Tšenekeng and Tšoeu-tšoana.

Venue
Afriski Resort is one of the few ski resorts in Africa. It is a bit of a novelty, rather than for serious skiers, but a nice place for a weekend. There is only one main slope, and also a beginners' slope and an intermediate slope. You can do all the skiing there is to do in one day, but there are also hiking and mountain biking trails. You can rent skis, snowboards and mountain bikes. Accommodation is available. It claims to have the highest restaurant in Africa, at 3010 m. Afriski has snow from June to August, but only off-piste snow for a fraction of this.

Maletsunyane Falls is a 192-metre-high waterfall in the Southern African country Lesotho. It is located near the town of Semonkong, which also is named after the falls. The waterfall is on the Maletsunyane River and it falls from a ledge of Triassic-Jurassic basalt.

The plunging water creates a reverberating echo when it contact the basin of the falls, and local legend has it that the sound comes from the wailing of people who have drowned in the falls.

In December 2017, the Australian YouTube channel How Ridiculous broke the record for the world's highest basketball shot at Maletsunyane Falls. This stands as the current world record. The Maletsunyane Falls first Guinness Record was for the "World's longest commercially operated abseil", managed by Semonkong Lodge, with a height of 204 m.

Quarter-final
Eight countries participated in the quarter-final. Every country could vote, with the participants accounting for 50% of the results and the Rest of the World for the other 50% of the results.

Other countries
Eligibility for potential participation in the Own Africavision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active OAUB membership that would be able to broadcast the contest. As in every edition, an invitation to all the members has been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not.


 * : The head of the delegation stated that the country will withdraw indefinitely without giving any specific reason.
 * : Despite the fact that at the beginning the new head of the delegation announced that the country will participate in the competition, later he stated that the nation will leave for a edition as it is still finding songs and the country does not want to participate in the quarter-final.
 * : The broadcaster announced country's withdrawal because it has to compete in the quarter-final.
 * : ORTM announced Mali's withdrawal from the Own Africavision Song Contest after having hosted the last edition in its capital, citing reasons of internal conflict and turmoil.
 * : The head of the delegation stated that the country will take a break for an edition without giving more information.
 * : The broadcaster has announced that it has exhausted its participation budget during previous editions, so it is currently unable to participate financially and will therefore not be present in Lesotho. The return of the next version has not been considered, but has not been completely ruled out.