The 2017 edition of the All Africa Music Awards,
AFRIMA, is already in the works to becoming an epoch-making awards event after
receiving nearly 5,000 entries from African music artistes and music
professionals at the close of the two-month entry submission process on Monday,
July 17.
The African Union and the International Committee of
AFRIMA had opened the 2017 AFRIMA Call for Entries on May 8 giving opportunity
to African music artistes, record producers, songwriters, video directors and
music journalists to enter their qualified works on the AFRIMA website
www.afrima.org and the awards social media platforms.
The overwhelming response to this call putting the
total number of entries received for 2017 at 4,816 is an astronomical increase
from the 2,714 number of entries received in 2016 which amounts to a whopping
77.25% increase compared to last year. Analysis reveals the regions with the
highest entries as Eastern Africa, with 47% of the total entries and Western
Africa, with 30%. This immense progress is a positive marker and has elicited
satisfaction from the African Union, the International Committee of AFRIMA, the
Regional and Country Directors of AFRIMA.
Expressing his excitement at the high number of entries
in 2017, the AFRIMA International Advisor and member of the International
Committee, Mr. Rikki Stein stated: *"This is tremendous news, indicative
of an increasingly healthy music industry across Africa, particularly from a
creative perspective. AFRIMA is plugged in to the aspirations of the African
continent, providing a platform for excellence in the field of
music and a source of inspiration and encouragement for
its associated fields of endeavour; songwriters, producers, sound engineers,
distributors, publicists, marketers, photographers, videographers, stylists,
journalists, bloggers, DJs and on and on".*
The former friend and Manager to African music legend,
Fela AnikulapoKutialso added that, *"As one by one, African artists are
making their mark in the wider world, acting as ambassadors of their countries
and their culture, the eyes and ears of that wider world are opening and
turning towards Africa as the source of much more than entertainment. In its
finest form, as will be evident amongst AFRIMA nominees and eventual winners,
they provide an antidote to negativity and cynicism, offering a healing form
for ailments of heart and spirit; what Fela used to call "The Underground
Spiritual Game”.*
To follow the close of entry submission is the
screening and adjudication processes from July 18 to July 28 and August 2 to
August 8 respectively. The 13-man AFRIMA Jury will review the 4,816 entries to
determine the works of African talents that are adjudged on merit to be on the
AFRIMA 2017 Nominees List.
In partnership with the African Union, AFRIMA is centered
on the promotion and marketing of African music and is by far the largest
gathering of such magnitude of stakeholders in Africa. The biggest awards event
on the continent packs exciting activities into its annual events calendar
including the AFRIMA
Tags
Entertainment