ConHill confirmed as main venue for ACCES 2021

ConHill, as it is referred to locally, will be the main venue of the trade event, which is set to host music professionals from across the continent and beyond with a robust programme including keynotes, panel discussions, showcases, workshops, training sessions and networking activities. The MIAF will also announce the ancillary venues that will host live performances during the pan-African event. 

ACCES 2021 will feature more than 80 showcasing artists and over 50 speakers from across the globe. The event will be broadcast live on Music In Africa as a way to reach global audiences digitally.  

Created in 2017, ACCES has stamped its authority as Africa’s leading music trade event. At the 2019 edition in Accra, Ghana, the conference brought together more than 1 200 delegates from about 50 countries. The conference hosted 76 showcasing artists from Africa and the diaspora, who got to perform and connect with fans and potential bookers from different countries. 

Historic venue

ConHill is one of Johannesburg’s most iconic landmarks and has previously played host to big events including festivals, concerts, markets and Africa Day celebrations. The historic precinct is the location of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and the Old Fort Prison, where political prisoners like Nelson Mandela, Joe Slovo and Mahatma Gandhi were held by South Africa’s segregationist regime.

“We are excited to welcome delegates and music industry professionals from around the world to Johannesburg and Constitution Hill,” MIAF director Eddie Hatitye said. “There is a powerful emotional response when attending modern-day events at places defined by painful memories, and we are eager to celebrate today’s African music industry at a venue that is emblematic of change, opportunity and freedom. In a similar vein, ACCES 2021 will feature a rich programme of speakers, workshop facilitators and topics geared towards the democratisation of African music and the African music industry. Ultimately, we want to see many successes resulting from this conference and we are doing our best to provide our attendees and showcasing artists with valuable opportunities to take their careers to the next level.”

Pan-African showcases

ACCES’ showcase programme is a central feature of the conference. Showcase applicants are currently being selected by the ACCES Curation Committee, which comprises leading music industry players from across the African continent, including Hatitye (South Africa), musician Kyekyeku (Ghana), the founder and CEO of music production company Black Major, Sevi Spanoudi (South Africa), Sauti za Busara festival organiser and MIAF chairperson Yusuf Mahmoud (Tanzania), Ongala Music Festival founder Aziza Ongala (Tanzania), and media practitioner and former MIAF chairperson Maimouna Dambele (Senegal). 

ACCES 2021 has once again partnered with Reeperbahn Festival International (RBF), which will add to the conference’s programming in the form of international experts, showcasing artists and panel discussions designed to foster business exchange and collaborations between artists and industry players working in Africa and Europe. In 2019, RBF brought three acts and a 30-strong European delegation to Accra, which dedicated itself to learn more about the local music market and create contacts with African music professionals.

Industry experts 

ACCES has this week started announcing this year’s speakers. The first round of announcements includes Black Major’s Sevi Spanoudi, Afro Nation Ghana producer Ruddy Kwakye (Ghana), Dakar Music Expo founder Dudu Sarr (Senegal), MTN Bushfire festival director Jiggs Thorne (eSwatini), entrepreneur and content marketer Phil Chard (Zimbabwe), Ongala Festival Director Aziza Ongala (Tanzania), music journalist and media strategist Shiba Melissa Mazaza (South Africa) and Composers, Authors and Publishers Association CEO Jotam Matariro. More speakers will be announced throughout September.

To reflect the MIAF’s vision of an inclusive pan-African music industry, ACCES has partnered with Goethe-Institut’s Moving Africa project, which will bring music industry expert from across Africa to Johannesburg to share their knowledge and expertise with the delegates. More speakers will be announced soon.

Registration for ACCES is FREE and opens in September on a first-come, first-served basis. 

The MIAF will continue monitoring COVID-19 developments with a view to offer the safest event possible. More information is available on the ACCES official website. 

About ACCES

ACCES is a pan-African trade event for music industry players to exchange ideas, discover new talent and create business linkages. ACCES is held in a different African city every year, attracting active music industry players from across the globe. ACCES is organised by the Music In Africa Foundation, a non-profit and pan-African organisation, in partnership with Siemens Stiftung, Goethe-Institut and Reeperbahn Festival International.

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