AFRIMA MEETS ECCAS, UNESCO IN GABON, DISCUSSES PLANS TO STIMULATE AFRICA’S CREATIVE ECONOMY
As the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) began its countdown to the 2022 main awards
ceremony, Monday, with the call for submission of entries from artistes, the
continental awards platform has restated its commitment to uplifting the African
creative economy, using music as its tool.
It made this known during a recent strategic stakeholder meeting, in Libreville,
Gabon, with the President of Economic Community of Central African States
(ECCAS) Commission, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Gabon, delegates and senior
officials from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO), as well as delegates from Centre International des Civilisations Bantu
(CICIBA) who are excited about the AFRIMA initiative.
AFRIMA, which is in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC),
corroborated UNESCO’s standpoint, on the need to deepen Africa’s creative exports,
especially through providing access to training and resources for young aspiring
creatives.
According to UNESCO’s representative to Gabon and ECCAS, Mr. Eric Voli Bi,
Africa’s creative economy needs more support and opportunities for the youth – who
make up the larger chunk of the workforce – to thrive.
He said, “I must thank AFRIMA for constantly projecting the continent in a positive
light to the world, and for giving African youths opportunities to be recognised on a
continental and even global scale. UNESCO is always interested in youth education
and development initiatives, and AFRIMA is one veritable platform to help stimulate
potentials among these youths. I believe, with one voice, we can speak louder. That is
the way to go.”
The President of ECCAS Commission, His Excellency Gilberto Da Piedade
Vérissimo, accompanied by Her Excellency Ms. Kapinga-Yvette Ngandu,
Commissioner in charge of the Department of Gender Promotion and Human and
Social Developments, ECCAS, welcomed the AFRIMA delegates to its regional
secretariat and pledged support towards AFRIMA. He assured that ECCAS will
partner AFRIMA to provide capacity building for African youths across the central
African region as well as develop its music industry.
Vérissimo said, “Every year, we see our African artistes shine on global levels. It will
be retrogressive for us, if we do not invest in them as well. ECCAS, in partnership
with the European Union, will continue to invest resources into capacity building for
African youths, especially within the entertainment sector. Apart from healthcare
and education, the cultural and creative sector of the Central African region is within
our primary focus.
We are excited that platforms like AFRIMA thrive to give voice to
our objectives, and we will pull our weight behind it, for the growth of the continent.”
On behalf of the awards platform, the President and Executive President, AFRIMA,
Mr. Mike Dada, assured Africans that the AFRIMA, which has been running since
2014, will continue to prioritise inclusivity in its capacity-building initiatives.
“AFRIMA, and all its supporting initiatives, like the Africa Creative Academy, which
we have in the pipeline, is for the entire continent.
It is not an East African affair, or a
West African Affair. We are one voice and one platform for the African people. So,
our capacity-building efforts will cover the length and breadth of the continent and
the diaspora. We equally apply this same character in all our campaigns, especially
our submission of entries which is ongoing from now till August 5, 2022; it covers
everyone across the continent and the diaspora.
“We have done this since 2014, and we are committed to consolidating our efforts
this year, with even more zeal, initiatives and twists, to make AFRIMA the pride of
not just the African individual, but also every black person and lover of African music
out there.”
The main ceremony of the All Africa Music awards will be held from Thursday
November 3 to Saturday November 6, 2022. It will feature a 4-day fiesta of music,
glitz, and glamour, which commences with a welcome soiree, followed by the
AFRIMA Music Village, the host city tour, African Music Business Summit, and the
exclusive nominees’ party, before culminating with the live awards ceremony
broadcast to over 84 countries around the world.
The submission of entries for the awards is also ongoing for artistes, artiste
managers, record producers, recording companies, video directors, disc jockeys and
other relevant stakeholders can submit their work or submit on behalf of their clients
via the official afrima website at www.afrima.org. All entries must be done in
consonance with AFRIMA guidelines, which are also available on the website.
Importantly, all prospective entries must have been created between August 20, 2021
and August 5, 2022, being the year-in-review for all submissions.
African music lovers can follow through with the build-up events to the main awards,
by engaging the social media platforms (Instagram – Afrima.official; Twitter –
Afrimaofficial).
