Social Nation Africa, Mansa Musik Group Partner With Organisers

With the clock ticking fast to the highly anticipated eighth edition of the All-Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) tagged ‘Teranga Edition’ scheduled to hold in Dakar, Senegal, from January 12-15, 2023, Senegalese-French actor and comedian, Ahmed Sylla; Cameroonian Actress and broadcaster, Sophy Aiida and South African screen gem, model and presenter, Pearl Thusi, have been unveiled as the hosts for the main awards ceremony tomorrow at the 15,000 capacity Dakar Arena.

Sylla of the A mes délires fame is a leading actor and comedian in France and Senegal with over a decade experience performing on global stages. In 2012, he achieved stardom in France with his eccentric solo pantomime and stand-up comedy performances. He has significant experience in film, having played in serials such as Alice Nevers and blockbusters like Goal of the Dead.

Joining Sylla on the big stage is Aiida, who is a television personality, actress and presenter for over a decade. Her brilliance behind the microphones has taken her to great stages including the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the 2012 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and others. Aiida, who also hosted the AFRIMA in 2017, has distinguished herself within the broadcasting and film industry across Africa. Her exploits hosting a talk show dubbed, Life Talk, on the Canal+ channel, as well as the Cameroun Top Model reality show on Canal 2, have demonstrated her prowess as a golden voice chaperoning black entertainment programmes.

Climaxing the trio is the South African screen goddess, Thusi of Netflix’s Queen Sono fame, who brings to bear her experience hosting several MTV shows including Lip Sync Battle Africa, Behind The Story, among others.

Commenting on the development, AFRIMA’s Regional Manager for Northern Africa, Janatte Haddadi, noted that the trio were “a blend of wits, charisma and humour” to help boost the experience of the awards ceremony.

She said: “These are fantastic choices! They have a maturity that is needed for a global event like this, and they also have the humour, wits and charisma needed to cater to all age brackets. The Teranga Edition is special, and it is why we have decided to specially curate the comperes to keep the magic alive at the show.”

As the whole world gears towards the eighth edition of AFRIMA, African music lovers are encouraged to keep voting intensively for their desired winners, using the voting portal live at www.afrima.org and take part in the events on social media platforms (IG/TikTok – @afrima.official; Facebook – Afrimawards; Twitter – @afrimaofficial; LinkedIn – AFRIMA). A globally renowned auditing firm, Pricewaterhousecoopers (PWC), audits the voting process that determines winners at AFRIMA.

As earlier announced by the organisers, the delegates were expected to arrive on January 11, 2023, with the ceremony scheduled to kick-start fully on Thursday, January 12, 2023, with a Host Country Tour, School Visit and Gift Presentation as part of AFRIMA’s Corporate Social Responsibility, as well as a Welcome Soiree in the evening in Dakar.

The four-day event continued yesterday with the Africa Music Business Summit (AMBS) at the Grand Theatre, in Dakar. The AMBS is Africa’s largest gathering of creative professionals in the music industry and it features workshops and panel discussions on issues and opportunities within the African music industry.

The eighth AFRIMA continued with high momentum at the AFRIMA Music Village at the Grand Theatre, which was a free-to-enter concert featuring live performances from the biggest music stars across the continent.

Today, the eve of the awards ceremony, the events will begin with main rehearsals, media engagements and a courtesy visit to the President of Senegal. There will also be a live recording booth at the venue for musicians across all five regions of the continent and in the diaspora, to explore for collaborative recordings. The day’s activities will climax with a Nominees exclusive party.

The event will wrap up tomorrow at the 15,000 capacity Dakar Arena with the live Awards ceremony broadcast by 104 TV stations to over 84 countries around the world.

Meanwhile, towards stimulating Africa’s creative economy, foremost industry player, Social Nation Africa, alongside their sister organisation, Mansa Musik Group, struck a strategic partnership with AFRIMA ahead of the event.

As part of their efforts to help bridge the gaps that prevent a rapid development of Africa’s creative industry, the pan-African organisation based in Cape Verde has supported the AFRIMA project with key human and financial resources to help achieve its objectives.

Noting that its support towards AFRIMA was in line with its operational philosophy, character and mission, Chief Executive Officer, Social Nation Africa, Samba Bathily, emphasised that the combined efforts towards the eight AFRIMA was in the interests of the entire continent.

“Social Nation Africa shares AFRIMA’s commitment to showcasing Africa’s art and music in helping the continent write its own narrative. We’re excited to team up with a partner that is providing a platform for African artistes to tell the stories of the continent’s progress and promise.

“Through our sister company, Mansa Musik Group, we continue to intentionally commit to promote African artistes and support the continent’s creative sector through content production in art, culture, music and film.

“The time is now to recognise the vital role that the creative industry plays in job creation and in shaping the African identity, and a strategic partnership with AFRIMA will allow us to contribute to telling the stories of the continent’s ongoing positive social change and economic transformation,” Bathily explained.

Commenting on the development, AFRIMA’s Executive Producer and President, Mike Dada, said: “We have always mentioned that the work of rebuilding Africa is not one borne by political office holders. It’s left to you and I, every African, to pull our wits, resources and time together to help rebuild sector by sector. What we are doing with the 8th Edition will still be relevant even after 20 editions, because the effect on the creative sector is a cumulative one. We appreciate our partners, Social Nation Africa, and their sister organisation, Mansa Musik, for supporting the cause and giving back to the continent.”

In partnership with the African Union Commission, AFRIMA is the pinnacle of African music globally.