…screening starts today
The selection of nominees from the 8, 880 record entries received by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the International Committee of All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) starts today in Lagos.
The head of communication and partnership of the AFRIMA, Zineb Seyad, in a statement, noted that a 13-man International Jury of the group would begin the week-long adjudication process, whereby entries shall be screened, categorised, assessed, graded and nominees selected into 40 different regional and continental awarding categories.
Submission of entries for the awards ended on August 20 while a list of the nominees would be released in September. Public voting commences after the nominees are revealed.
“We are encouraged by the number of entries received for the 2021 AFRIMA. Of the 8,880 entries submitted this year, West Africa leads the pack with 30.4 per cent of the total entries, followed by Eastern Africa with 28.8 per cent, Southern Africa with 22.9 per cent. Central Africa and North Africa and International acts have 12.3 per cent, 4.9 per cent and 0.7 per cent respectively,” Seyad said.
Within eight years, the AFRIMA has honoured African artists, music producers, songwriters, video directors, disc jockeys, choreographers/dancers and movie producers living on the continent or in the diaspora, as well as international acts with the 23.9-carat gold-plated trophy.
“The increased interest in the awards is a clear indication that the AFRIMA, a platform of bringing Africans together through the instrumentality of music and culture, is growing immensely across Africa and globally, which is a very important goal for us. Also, it is a signal that artists and actors in the music industry are becoming resilient in the face of global challenges,” the head of culture, African Union Commission, Angela Martins said.
It could be recalled that the International Jury of the AFRIMA announced additional three new categories for the 2021 edition, which included Best Soundtrack in a movie/series/documentary film, Best Global Act, and Breakout Artiste of the Year (renaming the most promising artist).
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