Following
an overwhelming flood of entries in the past two months, the All Africa
Music Awards (AFRIMA) has finally closed submission of entry for its
maiden edition. Activities recorded in this part of organising AFRIMA
recorded an impressive participation as a total of two thousand and
twenty five entries (2,025) were received at the close of the
submission.
The
call for entry was initially opened on May 15 and billed to close on
July 5. However, the International Committee of AFRIMA extended the
closing date to July 19 to accommodate the deluge of more entries from
interested participants across the continent and also to give an equal
chance to many who felt disenfranchised due to lack of Internet access.
The entry finally closed at 24.00 hrs CAT on July 21,2014.
For
the first time, AFRIMA insisted on submission of entries online in
order to achieve transparency and get the artistes to adapt to modern
and future forms of communication. A total of 2,025 entries were
received on the AFRIMA website and Facebook page from artistes, record
companies, music enthusiasts and music/entertainment journalists across
the continent and in the diaspora whose works were produced in the year
under review, May 31, 2013- July 20, 2014.
Of
the entries received, thirty eight (38) were from music and
entertainment journalists, others were from artistes, songwriters, video
directors, music producers and record companies.
Being
a continental award, music enthusiasts from across the continent
submitted their works, but more exciting are the entries from
non-African countries by Africans. This shows the global recognition of
AFRIMA, which is in partnership with the African Union Commission and
the host country’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment as well as
the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation in Nigeria.
The
Director, Brand Communication and Sponsorships, Matlou Tsotetsi
expressed excitement over the high record of entries: “The International
Committee is excited about the entries received. It is a reflection of
the understanding and acceptability of the vision and ideals of AFRIMA’s
intent to pursue and communicate to the rest of the world.”
The
submitted works will be further screened by a 13-person jury panel that
are part of the AFRIMA Academy of Voters comeprising of 527 members
grouped into two layers of adjudicators spread across the five regions
of Africa. The jury members who have been carefully selected to
represent the five (5) regions of Africa and Diaspora are from the
following countries- Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, Morocco, South Africa,
Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, UK and USA as
well as a representative from the African Union are expected to arrive
in Lagos on July 31, 2014 for the weeklong adjudication process in the
presence of an international auditing firm.
Prominent
and seasoned music professionals like Oscar Kidjo, Rita Ray,Kiki Toure,
Kawesa Richard, Delani Makhalima, Christian Syren, Rab Bakari are part
of the jury. A nomination list will be released to the public on a
later date to vote for a winner in each of the 31 categories of the
award.
Mr.
Rab Bakari, a former manager with Universal Music Group, United States
of America and a member of the jury representing the Diaspora could not
hide his delight to be part of the epoch-making event. He enthused:
“I’m glad to be part of this history making and Af renaissance in the
African music industry where African talents will be duly recognised,
rewarded and exposed to the international scene for global
competitiveness.”
He
continued: “I am committed to bring my over three decades of
professional experience in the global music industry to bear on this
laudable initiative.”
The
award ceremony, which promises to be a premium and star-studded event,
will take place on November 9. It will be broadcast in 84 countries on
109 television stations across the world. This will be preceded by the
AFRIMA Village, a four-day event of music festivities featuring national
pavilions, cultural/entertainment exhibitions and music concerts
between November 4 and 7. There will also be an Africa Music Summit
(November 6-7) themed "Reviving the Business of Music in Africa". The
two-day conference will be a platform for the music industry
stakeholders to engage and deliberate on how the industry can be
nurtured and be a major contributor to national and continental
economies.
AFRIMA
is a combined effort by music professionals across the continent aimed
at celebrating the rich musical heritage of the African continent and
encouraging the growth of talented artistes in the Diaspora. Nigeria won
the right to host it for three (3) years
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