The 2021 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) will hold in Lagos, Nigeria between November 19 to 21, 2021, TCN can confirm.
Regarded as the ultimate recognition of African music globally, the main award ceremony will hold as a hybrid colourful event at Eko hotel in Lagos and will be broadcast live on television stations across the African continent as well as stream virtually for some categories of performers and audiences.
According the the Founder and President of AFRIMA, Michael Yomi Dada, the ceremony this year will maintain its 3-day, 4-event template, starting with a music roundtable in the morning of November 19 and the African Music Village concert in the evening of the same day.
Industry reception is slated for Saturday November 20th while the grand finale and award ceremony proper will hold on Sunday November 21st.
Meanwhile, African music enthusiasts worldwide now have the opportunity to decide the winners of the 38 categories of this year’s AFRIMA.
Organisers of the continental awards show have announced that voting had started globally on Monday, September 27, 2021 at 6 p.m (EAT) and will end midnight on Saturday, November 20, 2021 (CAT).
A statement by the award organisers said the process of voting for artistes is conducted on the official AFRIMA website.
“To participate, voters are expected to visit https://ww.afrima.org or use the direct URL: https://afrima.org/AFRIMA2021voting to navigate to the voting platform.
“Returning voters can log in with the appropriate details to access the voting platform while new users should click on the ‘create account’ option and fill in the details ensuring they remember the username and password as it will be required for future login.
“Upon successful login to the voting platform, voters will find the dashboard area where the impact of voting engagement is displayed as well as a unique shareable URL.
“The unique shareable URL enables voters to acquire more votes when they share on social platforms and can be used for any artiste in any category.
“On the Regional and Continental categories menu, voters are expected to select the appropriate category to vote.
“Every voter, upon signing up, will be entitled to three vote counts daily per artiste in each of the 38 categories of the awards.
“More vote counts can be acquired/accumulated based on engagement with the unique shareable URL found on the fans/voters’ dashboard.
“Winners will be determined by 100 per cent public votes in some categories while a combination of 50 per cent public votes and 50 per cent of Academy of Voters’ votes will determine winners in other categories…
“AFRIMA International Academy of Voters comprises professionals in the music industry in Africa – musicologist, producers, veteran artistes, artiste managers, music/entertainment journalists and DJs, among others.
“The International Committee of AFRIMA has 100 per cent votes to select the winner in the ‘Legend Award’ category. Past winners in this category are: Afrobeat legend, the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti (Nigeria); South African male choral group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo; Soul Makossa and saxophonist Manu Dibango (Cameroon); the late Oliver Mtukudzi (Zimbabwe); Salif Keita (Mali); Yvonne Chaka Chaka (South Africa); King Sunny Ade (Nigeria); and Papa Wemba (Congo).
“AFRIMA received over 8,800 songs as entries, which were screened down to 400 songs by the Jury into continental and regional categories cutting across African talents and creative minds living on the continent and in the Diaspora,” the statement read in part.