In celebration of Africa’s best talent, the continent’s star musicians hit the red carpet this past weekend at the annual All Africa Music Awards which was the eighth edition of AFRIMA and the first to be held in a French-speaking country.
An awards ceremony outside of Dakar, the capital of Senegal, on Sunday evening January 15 brought the four-day event to a climax. It featured performances from some of the most popular musicians in Africa, including Nigeria’s P-Square and Tiwa Savage, Mali’s Rokia Kone, and Senegal’s Youssou N’Dour and Baaba Maal.
Rapper Didi B from Ivory Coast won best song of the year for his song “Tala.” He thanked his colleagues and acknowledged the fact that this was his first award of the year as he ascended the platform in front of a boisterous audience.
“I dedicate it to my mother and my fans,” the Abidjan-based rapper, singer and songwriter said.
Majority of the events have taken place in Nigeria, including the most recent one in Lagos in 2021, where the Malian singer Ibrahim Mahamadou Fily Sissoko, better known by his stage name Iba One, took home the best album prize. Iba One received recognition as the best songwriter this year.
On Sunday, several well-known singers also received honors, including Burna Boy, the Nigerian Afrobeat musician who took home the award for best act in Africa. Wizkid got the award for best act in West Africa, while Asake, another Nigerian, was named breakout artist of the year.
According to its organizers, AFRIMA strives to embrace the cultural richness and heritage of the continent while also introducing African musicians to international audiences.
“This is such an exciting moment in African music and we are proud of the way these artistes have been able to cross over to several markets both on the home front and even globally,” said Mike Dada, executive director for the event.
The event had more than 9,000 entries this year, which is a record high since it began in 2014. The winners bested more than 380 entries in 39 categories from five different African regions as well as the African diaspora.
Author-Roberta Appiah
