Fact Check: S.I.O Is Not The First Liberian Musician To Win Golden Image Award
EC
Emmanuel Cooper
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Claim: "This is the first time for a Liberian musician in Liberia to get the Golden Image Award."
Source: S.I.O.'s/Liberian Musician
Verdict: Misleading. The Liberian musician statement is false.
Full Text: On July 29, 2025, fast-rising Liberian musician Alfred M. Dorbor, who goes by the stage name "S.I.O," posted a video on his official Facebook page announcing his Golden Image Award win. In the video, he claimed that "This is the first time for a Liberian musician in Liberia to get the Golden Image Award."
The claim gained significant traction when a blog named "Mark the Blogger" amplified it in a Facebook post, writing, "He is also the first Liberian artist to receive such an award, and moreover, achieving this as a new artist in less than a year is a great boost for his career."
At the time of publication, S.I.O's post had garnered over 28,000 reactions, 5,800 comments, 901 shares, and 280,000 views, while Mark the Blogger's post received over 16,000 reactions, 864 comments, 152 shares, and 200,000 views.
About the Golden Image Award
The Golden Image Award (GIA) is the initiative of Liberia's former Culture Ambassador, Juli Endee, who is the Executive Director of the Liberia Crusaders for Peace (LCP). According to the organization's Facebook page, the award serves two primary purposes:
Supporting the Government of Liberia through innovative activities to rebuild the nation's image after 14 years of civil crisis
Honoring individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Liberia's peace process or significantly impacted their communities.
The 2025 edition was held on July 23 at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Congo Town as part of Liberia's Independence Day celebrations.
Recognize Liberians and other nationals who have impacted lives through continued sacrifices
Honor committed individuals in public service, education, investment, and advocacy
Support volunteerism, humanitarianism, and social justice initiatives
Showcase Liberian artistic talents and foster international collaborations
Build upon Liberia's rich cultural heritage to connect with global artistic networks
Verification: The Stage Media fact-checker visited the Golden Image Awards office on Capitol Bypass to verify S.I.O.'s claim but was referred to the institution website by staff, who further requested official communication from the fact-checker. The fact-checker found that the institution website is non-functional. Multiple emails to addresses listed on their Facebook page returned "Address Not Found" errors.
When contacted via WhatsApp, Ambassador Juli Endee stated she was busy and would call back but did not respond by publication time. A follow-up office visit resulted in staff indicating that the National Secretariat was preparing a press statement with updated awardee lists/
But further research revealed that previous Liberian musicians also received similar awards in 2020 and 2021, respectively. For instance, Bucky Raw in 2020 won the National Musical Icon component of the award. Miracle Kettor and Arblakolo T. Gaye won the Golden Image Outstanding Gospel Artist and Traditional Gospel Artist awards in 2021.
Multiple attempts to reach S.I.O for comment via WhatsApp and phone calls were unsuccessful.
Conclusion: S.I.O's claim that he is "the first Liberian musician in Liberia to get the Golden Image Award" is incorrect; evidence shows that at least three other Liberian musicians—Bucky Raw (2020), Miracle Kettor (2021), and Arblakolo T. Gaye (2021)—received Golden Image Awards in previous years.
