There are still a few people sniping away at both the term ‘world music’ and the annual BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music. The sceptics can so easily take their positions because they aren’t involved in trying to launch or maintain an artist’s career. Winning one of these Awards can be truly transformational – just ask Portuguese Fado singer Mariza, who credits them with launching her as an international artist, or the Spanish rumba/rock group Ojos de Brujo, who suddenly found themselves being invited to take part in rock festivals that had previously kept their gates firmly shut.

So which of these winners are likely to find their lives comparably affected?

For the Malian ngoni player and band-leader Bassekou Kouyate, winning Awards for both best Album and Best African Artist was further confirmation of what had already become apparent – he is a front-line maestro to be mentioned in the same breath as his countrymen, Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté, in whose shadow he had been standing for some years. Some were surprised that Bassekou got the African Award ahead of Toumani, but for me there is no question that Bassekou’s musical arrangements are infinitely more elegant than the cumbersome constructions of Toumani’s Symmetric Orchestra.

For Andy Palacio, we will never know how winning the Award for Best American Artists might affected his career, because he died at the age of 47 before the announcements were made. With producer Ivan Duran, Andy had helped to develop an entirely new, modern version of the music of the Garifunas of Belize and Honduras, and the fruits can be heard in the companion album, Umalali: The Garifuna Women’s Project. What are the odds on Umalali scooping up the prize for next year’s Awards? I’ll lay my bet.  

Of all the winners in this show, Son de la Frontera may benefit the most from winning the European category, because it will help to set them aside from all the many other Spanish groups offering a modern version of flamenco. There is not much that is obviously revolutionary or unique about their music, but the mostly instrumental tracks of this Seville-based quintet manage to sustain the interest of this non-specialist listener, who is easily distracted from paying attention to such music.

It’s too soon to tell what effect winning the Culture Crossing Award will have for Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara but their album grows mysteriously stronger by the month, and they may find it becomes the foundation for a solid career, as festival and concert promoters invite them to play on their bills.

Sa Ding Ding is so popular in China, she hardly needs our approval or plaudits, but she made a gracious acceptance speech at the event held in Dingwalls in North London to announce the winners. Amidst all the hurly burly of righteousness regarding Tibet, she maintains a discreet composure, and it is impossible to be sure what her feelings might be. But two tracks on her album are designated as the Tibet versions, so she is surely sympathetic to the cause.

Rachid Taha is an anomaly, a French Algerian rocker whose limited vocal range gets wearing after a while. His canny selection of catchy, anthemic tunes from Algeria’s rich collection of songwriters has reached audiences unimpressed by the intricacies of more sophisticated musicians.

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