AFRIMA Receives Most Entries from West Africa

Vanessa Obioha

Of the 8,800 entries received for the 2021 edition of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), West Africa leads the pack with 30.4%, followed by Eastern Africa with 28.8%. Southern Africa, Central Africa and North Africa and international acts have 22.9%, 12.3%, 4.9% and 0.7% respectively.

The figures were confirmed by the Head of Communication and Partnership, AFRIMA, Zineb Seyad.

The continental award called for entries on June 1 and closed on August 20. The number of entries is the highest the award has ever recorded since its inception in 2014. It was higher than the 2019 edition by 643. The awards didn’t hold last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For the 2021 edition, three new categories were added. They are Best Soundtrack in a Movie/Series/Documentary film, Best Global Act, and Breakout Artiste of the Year (Renaming Most Promising Artist).

This year’s entries were received from 50 African countries across the five regions of Africa and 10 countries from Europe and North America including Spain, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA), France, Portugal, among others.

“The increased interest in the awards is a clear indication that 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,” says Head of Culture, African Union Commission, Angela Martins.

The submissions will be reviewed by a 13-man International Jury of AFRIMA who will reveal the nominees in the second week of September.