The 2016 All Africa Music Awards will start today with a conference, which is tagged, ‘Africa Music Business Roundtable,’ at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
It will be a business networking and interaction forum for music professionals, music executives, government officials and other stakeholders in the music, media and financial sectors of Africa and the world at large.
Confirmed panellists for AMBR 2016 include Head, Culture Department, AUC, Angela Martins (Mozambique); Acting Director, Africa, ONE Campaign, Nachilala Nkombo (South Africa); CEO, PHAT Music Publishing, Mike Strano (Kenya); Rapheal Benza, CEO, Vth Season Record Company (South Africa); CEO, BBlack TV, David Monsoh (France) and Partner, Olajide Oyewole LLP, Sandra Oyewole (Nigeria).
Others are the Chief Executive Officer, Knitting Factory Records, Rikki Stein (UK); Music Executive & Artist, Nde Ndifonka (Cameroon); Veteran music artiste, Reggie Rockstone, (Ghana); Founder, Felabration, Dancer & Choreographer, Yeni Kuti (Nigeria); Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria, COSON, Tony Okoroji (Nigeria); Director of Programmes, Cameroon Radio & TV, CRTV, Robert Ekukole (Cameroon); Music & Artistic Director, Hit Radio, Omar Es Saidi (Morocco); Founder, Bavent Street Integrated Services Ltd, Hakeem Condotti (Nigeria) and Veteran artist & Music Professor, Jimmy Dludlu (South Africa), among others. Also debuting at AFRIMA 2016 programme is the Africa Music Village, which kicks off the same day. The one-day AFRIMA Music Village is a musical festival with performances from top African artistes and AFRIMA 2016 nominees.
As part of the tourism millage, artistes and participants for the awards will also have a taste of the new Lagos in a guided tour of Eko Atlantic City, popularly called the Eighth Wonder of the World. The tour will also include the Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos which houses relics of the slave trade/Nigeria’s struggles for Independence and a few other historic places in the city of Lagos.
The grand finale, the awards night, takes place on Sunday, November 6, at the prestigious Convention Centre of the Eko Hotels & Suites.
AFRIMA is tailored to recognise and reward those who have given African Music the most creative competitive edge in the global market within the year under review. Over 154 nominees are campaigning for votes from the public for the various categories of awards.
