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Tag: AFRIMA

  • AFRIMA 2014: stakeholders’ conference holds today

    AFRIMA 2014: stakeholders’ conference holds today

    As part of the activities towards the forthcoming awards ceremony being planned by the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) in October, stakeholders in the Nigerian music industry will converge today on Four Points, Victoria Island, Lagos for a one-day conference tagged “Harnessing Our Music Potential for Africa’s Development”.

    According to the organisers, other activities lined up for the event include stakeholders’ conference in other regions of Africa, music concerts on the continent and abroad, Africa music summit and exhibition as well as media workshop.

    The AFRIMA Director, Brand Communication and Sponsorship, Ms. Matlou Tsotetsi, said the conference was informed by the crucial role that Nigeria occupies as the host country of the awards project. “The music industry in Nigeria is, perhaps, one of the most vibrant on the continent and we can’t be holding an award of this scale in the country without engaging the practitioners who have helped to build it to global acclaim and get their buy-in.

    “We are encouraged at the level of commitment shown by our partners and sponsors. It is amazing how everyone is eager to be part of AFRIMA, a project that portrays Africa’s heritage and potential economic power. The African Union Commission, AUC, is also partnering us and throwing its full political and socio/cultural will behind AFRIMA as well as the Nigerian Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. It promises to be a spectacular awards event in Lagos”, she said.

    Also, AFRIMA Country Director, Nigeria/Co-Producer, Mr. Kingsley James, said: “The stakeholders’ conference is meant to explain everything AFRIMA represents to relevant practitioners in Nigeria and secure their active participation.”

    AFRIMA is a continental awards ceremony conceptualised to celebrate the musical heritage of the African race, while exposing the African tourism and culture to a world-wide audience.

    In partnership with the AUC, the 2014 AFRIMA, according to the organsers, will produce a star-studded, worldclass event in Nigeria, with live performances and television broadcast to 84 countries on 109 television stations around the world.

    With a sub-theme: “Music Returns beyond an Award: The AFRIMA Perspective”, the conference will attract top government officials, including Chief Edem Duke, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Mr. Dayo Adeneye, a veteran entertainment practitioner, key policy makers, outstanding professionals and performing artistes in culture, music and entertainment as well as journalists.

     

  • AFRIMA’s New York concert holds July

    AFRIMA’s New York concert holds July

    L-R: Regional Director and Co-Producer, Micheal Strano, CEO, PRM-Africa and Executive Producer AFRIMA, Mike Dada, Co-Producer, Petra Seseli and Director Brand Communication and-Sponsorship, Matlou-Tsotetsi

    THE race to impress has begun for PRMAfrica, the consultancy company that won the right to host the much-anticipated All Africa Music Award (AFRIMA) for Nigeria.

    According to the organizers, the first in the lineup of activities that will culminate in the maiden edition of the award show in October is the ‘On the Way to AFRIMA Concert’ scheduled to take place in July in New York, USA.

    Scheduled as part of the series of high-value concerts billed for major African and international cities, the New York event will be the first to hold outside the continent in the run up to AFRIMA 2014, which will be hosted in Lagos, Nigeria, come October.

    The organizers further revealed that the concert is part of the awareness and razzmatazz built around AFRIMA for Africans in the Diaspora and the international communities.

    The road show, according to Mr. Mike Dada, CEO of PRMAfrica and Executive Producer of AFRIMA, is expected to continue in other cities, including Douala, Kampala, Dakar, London, Paris and Johannesburg.

    According to him, the New York concert will hold at the prestigious 15,000- capacity Barclays Arena, the landmark indoor entertainment space in Brooklyn, New York, where international music superstars like Beyonce, Jay Z and Youssou N’Dour have played. The arena also hosted the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards and is a regular venue for the NBA games.

    Nigeria, last year, won the hosting right for the award for five consecutive years, having defeated South Africa, Namibia, Gabon and Kenya.

    The delegates were a mix bag of professionals in music, entertainment, marketing and media, representing SADC, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) and ECOWAS countries.

    Last week, a foremost US-based live event production team visited the Nigeria office of PRMAfrica. The visit may not be unconnected with possible partnership for New York concert.

    However, Dada, who would not disclose details of the meeting, stated that “All I can say is that we are excited that the momentum is building for 2014 AFRIMA. Many stakeholders and practitioners in the music industry, both within Africa and outside the continent, are already contacting us to be a part of this ennobling awards project.

    “The pool of the Africans in the Diaspora living in the US is staggering and adds to the number of non-African fans that the continent’s music artistes have in America. So, with this, you’ll get a better understanding of why the New York leg of ‘On the Way to AFRIMA Concert’ must hold in a venue like Barclays Arena”, said Ms. Adenrele Niyi, AFRIMA programme director.

    According to Niyi, “The concert is going to feature 80 percent performances from some of our best talents in Africa and 20 percent performances from international artistes. Our host for the concert will certainly be one of the top names from contemporary pop culture or TV/movie. We are in talks with artistes’ managements and the artistes too. It is guaranteed that this concert, as well as other aspects of AFRIMA 2014, will be memorable.”

    AFRIMA’s Co-producer and regional director, East Africa, Mr. Michael Strano, reiterated the uniqueness of the awards. “The African continent has had her fair share of awards events. However, AFRIMA stands out by being the only one that will honour music professionals who operate behind the scene hitherto ignored, perhaps, because other event organisers largely see their activities as trivial. For the first time, honour will be accorded to song writers and music/entertainment journalists,” he said.

    If the vision of the creators is anything to go by, then, AFRIMA is expected to provide opportunities to showcase the strength of Africans for global competitiveness and project their musical and cultural values in an unambiguous manner that reflects the continent’s heritage and bright future.

    PRMAfrica has also assured that the live awards event will be broadcast to 700 million viewers across the world on 109 TV stations in 84 countries.

  • Nigeria wins right to host AFRIMA

    Nigeria wins right to host AFRIMA

    After months of intensive deliberations, history was made as Nigeria eventually emerged as the winner of the hosting right of AFRIMA (Africa Music Awards). The final decision was reached on Saturday October 5, 2013 by the International Committee of AFRIMA with members drawn from different parts of Africa, at the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Speaking to journalists, during the unveiling on Sunday, October 6,2013 at the Four Points by Sheraton, Lagos, AFRIMA’s Brand Communication and Sponsorship Director, South Africa’s Matlou Tsotetsi said Nigeria was selected to host the much expected pan- African music award among four other countries- Gabon, South Africa, Namibia and Kenya.

    According to Tsotetsi, one of the factors that aided the decision to give Nigeria the maiden hosting right was the booming business of music in the country, including its growing entertainment and event – hosting infrastructure. “We took a lot of factors into consideration before Nigeria was eventually considered and nominated just like we did last year in Namibia before we arrived at the last five countries.”

    With the nomination, it was disclosed that Nigeria would host the music awards aimed at rewarding African music talent for the next three consecutive years, while countries bidding to host after Nigeria would be announced in 2015. The organisers noted that the award ceremony that will be preceded by a two-day Pan African Music Summit is expected to be held on Saturday, October 25, 2014. There will be twenty seven categories of awards that will be decided by a rich college of judges and fan sms/online voting.

    AFRIMA, is designed to be the ultimate recognition of African music talent globally, has five Regional Directors and fifty four Country Directors across Africa to streamline activities. As part of the build- up to the award ceremony.