By Samuel Onyekwere
The fifth edition of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) in
partnership with the African Union Commission, has introduced four new
award categories .as contestants have started sending in their entries for award. The AFRIMA online submission portal t opened on Friday, May 25, 2018 to commemorate the 2018 Africa Day.
The newly introduced award categories include: African Disc Jockey of the Year; Best African Dance/Choreography; African Lyricist/Rapper of the Year and Best African Act in Diaspora (Female & Male). This decision was taken after extensive consultations with African music stakeholders which included the AFRIMA Academy of Voters and members of the International Committee of AFRIMA. This is in response in
response to the yearnings and requests of stakeholders including DJ’s, dancers and artistes in diaspora.
According to the organizers, the awards categories are divided into two: Continental and Regional categories. The Continental Category rewards African artistes in various music genres and forms ranging from pop, hip hop, inspirational, jazz, electro, DJ and more. The Regional Category celebrates the outstanding achievements of African artistes within their specific region of origin. These include African DJ of the Year; Best African Dance/Choreography; African Lyricist/Rapper of the Year and Best African Act in Diaspora all fall under the Continental Category.
In addition, the Best African Act in Diaspora is dedicated to
artistes with African roots/origin who practice their craft in the
international music industry. The artiste’s music style could either be in the traditional or contemporary forms of expression.
Commenting on this development, a member of the Jury r representing Africa music in the Diaspora (North America), Hadja Kobélé Keita said the award has given most African artistes the opportunity to gain international attention. Her words, “AFRIMA have in the last few years given African artistes, opportunities to capture the attention of the
international community while celebrating our unique tradition and diverse African musical cultural heritage. The addition of the Diaspora category is a direct emphasis on the critical role Africans in diaspora have as the ambassador of our culture on a global scale”.
Music videos, songs or recordings sent to AFRIMA online submission platform www.afrima.org must be produced, recorded or written (in the case of songwriters) by African music professionals and publicly released within the eligibility period of August 1, 2017 to August 1, 2018. The award is open to music artistes, producers, songwriters, video directors, DJs, choreographers/dancers who stand a chance to win the AFRIMA 23.9k gold-plated trophy in one or more of the awards 36 categories.
AFRIMA also has a special AFRIMA Legend Award category which recognizes the special lifetime achievements of living or dead African music icon as jointly determined by the African Union, International Committee of AFRIMA and the AFRIMA Jury. Following the culmination of submission period is the adjudication process where the AFRIMA 13-man Jury will, over two weeks, oversee the thorough and fair screening,
categorizing and assessment of entries received. The adjudication period ends with the unveiling of the AFRIMA 2018 Nominees List.
The 5th AFRIMA with the theme “Africa is Music” will be celebrating the innovative sounds created by African artistes promoting the dynamism of traditional and contemporary African music, while creating a global market for the sustainability of African arts and culture. Also to be featured as part of activities scheduled for the main awards events is the Africa Music Business Roundtable, a combination of musical conference and trade expo where stakeholders in the
creative and arts industry come together to discuss the business of music in Africa. There is also the AFRIMA Music Village, a music concert and cultural festival that accommodate over 40,000 music lovers across the continent who witness live performances from their favorite African artistes. The main awards ceremony is slated to come up in November 2018 and it will be broadcast live to 84 countries
around the globe.