As the highly anticipated 8th edition of the All-Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) tagged ‘Teranga Edition’ scheduled to hold in Dakar, Senegal on 12-15 January, draws nearer, Senegalese music legend Youssou N’dour has urged African stars to come together to collectively amplify the heritage of African music.

The 63-year-old music maestro while lauding AFRIMA for hosting the prestigious pan-African ceremony in his home country of Senegal, enjoined his counterparts in Africa and in the diaspora to come together to celebrate Africa at the 15, 000-capacity Dakar Arena, in Dakar, Senegal. 

AFRIMA, which is the pinnacle of recognition for African music globally, is an annual 4-day festival, broadcasted in over 84 countries across the world, with an even more expansive reach following its recent YouTube partnership. 

The Senegalese singer and former tourism minister also expressed his delight in seeing indigenous music like the Mbalakh of the Senegalese being spotlighted globally on the AFRIMA platform. 

“All Africa Music Awards is the most prestigious ceremony dedicated to music and African artists and its diaspora. All the most beautiful aspects of Senegalese and African culture will be in the news for at least four days. I therefore invite all Senegalese musicians to come and celebrate African music together,” N’dour said. 

Commenting on this, AFRIMA’s Executive Producer/President, Mike Dada, said that he is happy to see indigenous African music, such as the Mbalakh being celebrated globally, adding that it is a step in the right direction towards boosting Africa’s global image and creative economy. 

Speaking on the development, the Head, Culture Division at the African Union Commission (AUC), Angela Martins said, “It is important that we spread our efforts to promote inclusivity and ensure that the world can see the impact of AFRIMA at the global centre stage.

“African music is ours and it is up to us to preserve our heritage and share our art with the world.” 

As the whole world gears towards the 8th edition of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, African music lovers are encouraged to keep voting intensively for their desired winners, using the voting portal live at www.AFRIMA.org and take part in the events on social media platforms (IG/TikTok – @afrima.official ; Facebook – Afrimawards; Twitter – @afrimaofficial; LinkedIn – AFRIMA).

The voting process that determines winners at AFRIMA is audited by a globally renowned auditing firm, Pricewaterhousecoopers (PWC).

As announced at the conference, the delegates are expected to arrive on January 11.

The AFRIMA ceremony is scheduled to kick-start fully on Thursday January 12, with a host country tour, school visit and gift presentation (as part of AFRIMA’s Corporate Social Responsibility), as well as a Welcome Soiree in the evening, in Dakar. 

The 4-day event continues on Friday January 13, with the Africa Music Business Summit (AMBS) at the Grand Theater, in Dakar.

The AMBS is Africa’s largest gathering of creative professionals in the music industry and it features workshops and panel discussions on issues and opportunities within the African music industry. 

The 8th AFRIMA will continue with high momentum at the  AFRIMA Music Village at the Grand Theatre, which will be a free-to-enter concert featuring live performances from the biggest music stars across the continent. 

On the eve of the awards ceremony, on Saturday January 14, the events will begin with main rehearsals, media engagements and a courtesy visit to the President of Senegal.

There will also be a live recording booth at the venue for musicians across all five regions of the continent, and in the diaspora, to explore for collaborative recordings. 

The day’s activities will climax with a nominees exclusive party. 

Finally, the 8th AFRIMA will wrap up on Sunday January 15, at the 15, 000-capacity Dakar Arena, in Dakar, with the live Awards ceremony broadcast by 104 TV Stations to over 84 countries around the world.

In partnership with the African Union Commission, AFRIMA is the pinnacle of African music globally.