The African Union Commission and the International Committee of All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) have received 8,880 entries from Nigerian and other African artists for the AFRIMA 2021 Awards.

The organisers announced the figure after the close of submission of entries on August 20.

The organisers noted that despite the COVID-19 impact on the culture and creative industry, the figure was a record number of entries since the awards’ inception in 2014.

It is 8.86 per cent higher than the previous edition, according to a statement by AFRIMA.

AFRIMA’s spokesman Zineb Seyad further noted that AFRIMA of the 8,880 entries submitted, West Africa led the pack with 30.4 per cent of the total entries, followed by Eastern Africa with 28.8 per cent. Southern Africa had 22.9 per cent, Central Africa, North Africa, and “international acts” had 12.3 per cent, 4.9 per cent and 0.7 per cent, respectively.

“This year’s entries were received from 50 African countries across the five regions of Africa and 10 countries from Europe and North America including Spain, UK, U.S., France, Portugal, among others,” said Angela Martins, the head of culture, at the AUC. “The increased interest in the awards is a clear indication that AFRIMA, a platform for bringing Africans together through the instrumentality of music and culture, is growing immensely across Africa and globally.”

The AFRIMA jury had earlier announced additional three new categories, including ‘Best Soundtrack’ in a movie/series/documentary film, ‘Best Global Act’, and ‘Breakout Artiste of the Year’ (renaming ‘Most Promising Artiste’).

AFRIMA’s 13-person jury is expected to arrive in Lagos on August 29 for a week-long “adjudication process.”

(NAN)