Call for applications: AFRIMA 2017

The call-out was made on Tuesday in Johannesburg where industry players from Africa, Europe and the US attended the launch of the AFRIMA 2017 calendar. Artists will be able to submit their music from 8 May to 17 July via the AFRIMA website. The organisers stressed that only published music would be taken into consideration in line with the entry guidelines. The nominees will be announced in Harare, Zimbabwe, on 8 August while the main awards ceremony will be held on 12 November in a yet-to-be-announced host city. Lagos hosted the event in 2014, 2015 and 2016, with the three-year cycle now in the process of being handed over to the next city.

“The criteria for the next host city is based on those who have shown interest. We’re looking at the level of security, infrastructure, venue availability, international airport and others. It also takes two to tango. A country needs to show interest and support the idea. It must see the benefits of hosting the AFRIMAs such as destination marketing and branding. It must also see the power of music,” AFRIMA president Mike Dada said after the calendar launch, although he did not confirm when the host city would be announced.

AFRIMA is partnering with the African Union (AU) Commission, whose head of culture, Angela Martins, addressed the Johannesburg event and announced this year’s theme: Enhancing the Creative Power of the African Youth. While answering questions from the media and music professionals, Martins was confronted with the problem of visas and travel for African musicians. She was queried about whether the single African passport would be extended to artists anytime soon. She said the passport would first be given to AU officials and ministers of foreign affairs, but pledged that she would take back the raised concerns to the union.

Dada said it had taken AFRIMA much effort to persuade the AU to support the pan-African music initiative.

“It took the AU a long time to take their decision because of so many factors,” he said. “They had to do background checks and so on, but eventually they came on board. AFRIMA is a very suitable platform for the AU to achieve its objectives as well, which is the integration of Africans.”

AFRIMA’s calendar comprises a number of events leading up to the 12 November ceremony, most notably the Afrima Music Village, which takes place in the host city two days before the big night and provides a platform for interaction between musicians through live performances and exhibitions. The music awards will also host a number of concerts in South Africa, Angola, Tanzania, Egypt, Cameroon, DRC, Ivory Coast, Nigerian and Zimbabwe in the next few months.