Nyege Nyege, Midem to host Spotlight on East Africa event

6 Aug 2020 - 15:46

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

Uganda's Nyege Nyege Festival has partnered with international music business event Midem to showcase the East African music market in an event titled Spotlight on East Africa. The event takes place on 3 and 4 September, ahead of the festival's 2020 edition.

Spotlight on East Africa will feature showcases and panels. In the photo: A previous edition of Nyege Nyege Festival.

Spotlight on East Africa is in line with Midem's vision for the African continent, which is to assist with the development and internationalisation of its music markets.

The event's programming will feature panel discussions that will bring together top East African industry players representing telcos, collective management organisations and record labels to share insights on the opportunities and challenges in the region.

Panellists will also include artists and managers, event organisers, music journalists, tech innovators, intellectual-property lawyers and publishers.

In addition, there will be a series of performances by East African musicians of different genres through digital showcases and DJ sets.

"Nyege Nyege has always aimed at strengthening the East African music industry by creating meaningful opportunities and links on a global level," Nyege Nyege Festival co-founder Derek Debru said.

"Music markets have traditionally been difficult to access. Still, with its initiative, Midem brings its digital know-how and network build over the last 50 years make it a golden opportunity for East Africa."

Spotlight on East Africa will be included in the overall Midem African Forum programme, which was launched in 2018 to support the development and globalisation of the music markets in sub-Saharan Africa. The forum consists of a series of conferences, workshops and showcases. The 2020 edition was held in Lagos, Nigeria, and Cape Town, South Africa.

"With the African Forum initiative, it has always been our goal to put African talent on the global music map, as well as help forge connections between the continent and the rest of the world," Midem director Alexandre Deniot said.

"We are delighted to open a new chapter and partner with Africa's essential electronic music festival Nyege Nyege. Today we are joining forces to present Spotlight of East Africa on the Midem digital edition, an exciting two-day, online programme which will highlight the talent and key artists of the region."