The awards will be screened live on DStv channel 196 to all DStv customers and on channel 29 on GOtv MAX and GOtv Plus. DStv customers across the continent can also stream the events live on the DStv Now app on their mobile devices as well. AFRIMA is the biggest music awards show in Africa with the participation of over 700 artistes across the continent.
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“MultiChoice is proud to use the power of entertainment to connect our customers across the continent. We believe by sharing the magic of this award ceremony and its allied events with the world, we will not only be celebrating the rich musical diversity of our continent but supporting Africa’s creative industries into becoming a more vibrant, economic powerhouse,” said Martin Mabutho, Chief Customer Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria.
Other activities scheduled include the Africa Music business summit, a combination of musical conferences and trade expos which will bring stakeholders in the creative and arts industry together to discuss the business of music in Africa. There is also the AFRIMA music village, a music concert and cultural festival which will be aired live to millions of African music lovers across the globe via a network of over 80 broadcasters. The AFRIMA music village will witness live performances from African artistes like P Square, Shatta Wale, Wiyala, Falz, Diamond Platinum and over 40 more African musical greats.
Nominees in the regional and continental categories are battling it out for the coveted AFRIMA 23.9 karat gold-plated trophy. The regional category, which consists of best female artistes and best male artistes in the five regions of Africa features 79 nominees, while the continental category which honours exceptional work in different African music genres, boasts 260 nominees with both categories making up a total number of 339 music professionals and songs nominated for the 2018 edition of the continental awards.
…As Nigerian fans question few nominations
For many years now, Nigerian music industry has been playing a major role in the sphere of African music. As there is more global recognition for them, hip-hop stars from the country continue to rake in more international awards. There appears to be the urge to expand the frontiers of Nigerian Afropop to penetrate into more international audiences. In a bid to achieve that, artistes have been increasingly collaborating with big names in Africa, the United States and other countries, as far as music is concerned. Beyond doubts, these efforts have been yielding positive results evidenced by the large turnout and enthusiasm recorded when Nigerian artistes tour foreign lands. Such tours have proved to be successful in bringing Nigerian music closer to not just Africans in diaspora are but also to outsiders who are, somehow, being fascinated by this emerging cultural influence.
The swelling fame of Nigerian popular music can also be observed in the increasing millions in YouTube views as well as nominations and wins in continental awards like MTV Africa Music Awards and All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), and global Awards like BET, MOBO, World Music Awards and even the Grammy awards. Nigerian artistes, among other African counterparts, have also been preferentially invited to perform at music festivals within and outside the continent. It is in the light of these achievements that the relatively low statistics of Nigerian nominees in the fifth edition of AFRIMA becomes quite surprising. Some fans have been curious as to why there are fewer Nigerian artistes for this year whereas previous editions have had a good number of them earning key nominations and wins.
Questions are being asked as to why there is less AFRIMA recognition when, in fact, Nigeria is the hub of entertainment in the continent and contributes a major part to what the world now knows as African popular music.
Mayowa Ogunsola, an avid music listener was surprised that only Simi, Davido, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage and a few others were the major names nominated from Nigeria. In a chat with Friday Treat, she posed questions to the organisers regarding the criteria for selection for this year’s event.
She said, :“I was a bit shocked to see less Nigerians on the nominations this year, knowing that our artistes have had the busiest year. Davido, Wizkid, Wande Coal, Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, Teni the entertainer, Olamide, Kizz Daniels, Mayorkun are some of the names that ruled the continent this year and only some of them made the list. Well, we will watch the event to see how many Nigerians come back with wins”.
Another respondent, Chukwuma Okoye opined that it was possible that the awards ceremony expanded to other African genres in order to balance the supposed Nigerian music domination.
“I don’t know why Nigerian artistes didn’t get many nominations at the AFRIMA 2018 but maybe they want other African countries to share the spotlight,” he said.
and then