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Globally recognised stars including Senegalese
maestro Youssou Ndour, and Nigerian artists P-Square and Tiwa
Savage are among those set to perform during the main awards
ceremony at the 15,000-seat Dakar stadium.
Gabonese singer and AFRIMA nominee Espoir La Tigresse was among
the extravagantly dressed guests posing on the red carpet before
the ceremony.
"I’m wearing a head mask from my tribe in Gabon representing a
traditional dance from my village to show that I’m proud of my
culture and wanted to share it with the people here today," she
told Reuters, wearing a black gown and a headpiece decorated
with long straw-like fronds that hid most of her face.
The mass appeal of contemporary genres such as Afrobeats, where
artists sing and rap over electronic backing tracks, has
translated into record sales and sold-out concerts for some
African artists across the continent and also in the United
States and parts of Europe in recent years.
"This is such an exciting moment in African music, and we are
proud of the way these artists have been able to cross over to
several markets both on the home front and even globally," said
AFRIMA President Mike Dada ahead of the ceremony.
Companies are cashing in on rising global interest in African
music. Last June, Universal Music Group launched a label for
independent African labels and artists, while music streaming
platforms, including Spotify, have sought to expand their
offerings by African artists.
(Reporting by Bate Felix and Ngouda Dione; Writing by Alessandra
Prentice; Editing by Christina Fincher)
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