AFRIMA Returns to Live Events, Calls For Entries

Vanessa Obioha

The All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) is returning this year with a live event. The organisers made the announcement recently in Ethiopia as they unveiled the calendar for this year’s edition. The call for entries which began June 28 kicked off the lined-up events. It will officially close on Friday, August 20. The year under review is June 1, 2020, to August 20, 2021.

The submission of entries will be followed by a pre-screening process slated for August 21 to 28, after which the International Jury of AFRIMA comprising a 13-man panel of experienced and respected African music experts and practitioners will carry out the AFRIMA Adjudication process from August 29 to September 6.

The nominees will be publicly unveiled on September 7. The public voting will commence the following day, September 8 and will end 24 hours before the main awards ceremony.

Speaking on behalf of the African Union, the Director of health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Cisse Mariama Mohamed, noted that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in multiple setbacks for the continent, but “AFRIMA is committed to uniting the continent through entertainment and honouring their tradition of celebrating the scintillating musical culture of Africa by featuring exhilarating Pan-Africa events through the lifespan of the calendar year in 2021.”

In partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), AFRIMA 2021 will be hosted by a yet-to-be-disclosed African city from November 18. Since its inception, AFRIMA has a tradition where countries bid to host the awards. This year’s event will be a three-day fiesta of music, glamour, Afrocentrism and entertainment, all culminating in the main awards ceremony where winners will be revealed.