DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Africa’s star musicians hit the red carpet last weekend at the annual All Africa Music Awards, celebrating the continent’s best talent.
The four-day event culminated in an awards ceremony on Sunday night outside the Senegalese capital Dakar and included performances by some of Africa’s most popular musicians including P-Square and Tiwa Savage of Nigeria, Rokia Kone from Mali and Senegalese singers, Youssou N. ‘Dour and Baaba Maal.
Ivorian singer Didi B won the song of the year award for his rap song “Tala.” Taking the stage in front of a boisterous audience, he thanked his colleagues and said it was his first award of the year.
“I dedicate it to my mother and my fans,” said the Ivorian rapper, singer and songwriter.
“Tala”, the Ivorian slang used to describe a type of dance, has been viewed almost 6.5 million times in seven months on YouTube and played in nightclubs across the continent.
This was the eighth edition of AFRIMA and the first to be held in a French-speaking country. Nigeria has hosted most of the events, including the last one in the city of Lagos in 2021, where Malian singer Ibrahim Mahamadou Fily Sissoko, known as Iba One, took the best album award. This year, One, took home the award for best songwriter.
Other well-known singers also collected awards on Sunday, including Nigerian Afrobeat star Burna Boy, who won Best Act in Africa. Another Nigerian, Asake, won Emerging Artist of the Year and Wizkid won Best Act in West Africa.
AFRIMA aims to connect African musicians to global markets while embracing the continent’s cultural diversity and heritage, organizers say.
“This is such an exciting time in African music and we are proud of the way these artists have been able to cross over into various markets, both locally and globally,” said Mike Dada, the event’s executive director.
More than 9,000 entries were submitted for this year’s contest, the highest number since its inception in 2014. Winners fielded more than 380 entries in 39 categories representing five regions of Africa, as well as the diaspora.
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