. . . Fally Ipupa hosts AFRIMA team to special dance, music sessions

In line with its mandate to develop the African creative ecosystem, the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), met with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as stakeholders from its creative industry recently, in the capital city of Kinshasa, to discuss possible ways to protect the globally-renowned heritage of Congolese Rumba.

Recall that the Congolese Rumba was, in December 2021, added to the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) list of world intangible heritages, sparking conversation on the need to protect the iconic genre, which has long been revered as the soundtrack of Congolese history.

AFRIMA delegates from its international secretariat, based in Lagos, Nigeria, including the Executive Producer and President, Mr. Mike Dada; Associate Producers, Olisa Adibua, and Victoria Nkong; AFRIMA Regional Director, Central Africa, Mr. Ernest Ewane Egnon; AFRIMA Juror representing Diaspora Northern America, as well as AFRIMA International Executive Committee Member, Matlou Tsotetsi, met with the Honourable Minister of Integration, DRC, Didier Mazenga, as well as the Honourable Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Catherine Kathungu Furaha, in the DRC Capital of Kinshasa, as well as the Honourable Commissioner in charge of Education, Health and Culture, in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Yvette Ngandu Kapinga, to discuss a partnership which would see Rumba spotlighted to Africans and the rest of the world as a sound of the future.

Furaha, who received the AFRIMA team with enthusiasm, lauded the initiative, adding that it would be beneficial to allow the Congolese Rumba to play a role in the unification of Africans, as well as develop the entertainment industry in the Central African region.

According to a statement by AFRIMA’s Communication Manager, Chinonso Iheklire, the group’s Executive President and Producer, Mike Dada, appreciated the DRC hosts, noting that the partnership was strategic and vital as a prelude to the Biennale of the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence, which is scheduled to hold in Kinshasa by the end of the year.

“AFRIMA, which is celebrating its eighth edition, in November this year, has always been a beacon of hope for the African creative industry. As the rest of the world celebrates our popular music, it is important that we honour and safeguard our pioneering and iconic genres, which have shaped our global image for several decades. The Congolese Rumba is such a powerful genre that is at the risk of being forgotten by the current generation of music lovers in Africa and it is our responsibility as a pan-African body to showcase it and transfer this heritage to our younger music lovers,” Dada said.

The delegates also discussed innovative solutions to some challenges bedevilling the African music industry, citing that the African Creative Academy, which is a continental youth empowerment initiative, would play a key role in helping Africans to develop their old and minority genres for global acclaim.

The AFRIMA delegates were also treated to special closed-door performance from Congolese superstars and previous AFRIMA winner, Fally Ipupa, who serenaded the whole team with their enigmatic Rumba melodies and dance moves. The team also met with the media and other AFRIMA winners, such as Majoos and Inoos B.

The AFRIMA team also urged entertainers, across the continent and their counterparts of African descent who are based in the diaspora to submit their entries for possible nomination at the awards this year.

The submission deadline for the entries, which has been set at August 5, 2022, would not be extended this year, the organisers have previously announced. All entry submissions can be done via the AFRIMA website at www.afrima.org, which also contains information about the guidelines, as well as eligibility status for prospective entrants.

The AFRIMA awards ceremony will feature a 4-day fiesta of music, glitz, and glamour. The event is scheduled to commence with the welcome soiree, followed by the AFRIMA Music Village, the host city tour, African Music Business Summit, and the exclusive nominees’ party and concluded with the live awards ceremony broadcast to over 84 countries around the world.

Ihekire said that African music lovers could take part in the events on social media, live stream on the AFRIMA website at www.afrima.org and visit the social media platforms (Instagram – Afrima.official; Twitter – Afrimawards), and they could watch the event coverage by tuning in to their local and cable TV providers.

In partnership with the African Union Commission, AFRIMA is a youth-focused music platform that recognizes and rewards the work and talents of African artistes across generations. It primarily stimulates conversations among Africans, and also the rest of the world, especially on the potential of the creative arts for fostering real human enterprise, as well as contributing significantly to social cohesion and sustainable development in Africa.

The Programme of events is in line with the AU Agenda 2063 which outlines Aspiration 05 as the development of the arts and culture sector including its cultural and creative industries, to boost the development of the African economy.

•PHOTO: L-R: AFRIMA Associate Producer, Mr. Olisa Adibua, AFRIMA International Executive Committee Member, Ms. Matlou Ttotsesi, AFRIMA Associate Producer, Ms. Victoria Nkong, AFRIMA Executive Producer/President, Mr. Mike Dada, DRC Honourable Minister of Integration, Mr. Didier Mazenga, AFRIMA Juror representing Northern America, Ms Hadja Kobele, ECCAS Commissioner in charge of Education, Health and Culture, Ms. Yvette Kapinga, and AFRIMA Regional Director, Central Africa, Mr. Ernest Ewane Egnon.

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