Okoroji, Saint Obi, describe AFRIMA as a tool for African unity

Some movers and shakers of the entertainment industry have expressed satisfaction at the successful hosting of the All Africa Music Awards, which they described as a unifying factor for African countries.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the third edition of AFRIMA, which commenced on November 4, was concluded on November 6, with the grand finale at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island.
The award ceremony was used to create a night of glamour, glitz and grandeur for Africa, through a world-class live production that was broadcast live to over 80 countries.
It was preceded by the Africa Music Summit on November 4 to foster creative and cultural exchange, fast track the industry’s development, facilitate knowledge transfer and build bridges for the economic growth of the music industry.
The show also featured the AFRIMA Music Village on November 4, a high-octane platform for interaction among Africans and African artistes through music, where the beauty of live performance was experienced.
The event was specially organised to honour great African musicians such as King Sunny Ade, Manu Dibango and the late Papa Wemba for their immense contributions to the growth of African music.
Tony Okoroji, the Chairman of the Copyright Society of Nigeria, said the event was a fantastic and bold venture, which would make a difference in the world.
Okoroji said: “The entertainment industry has developed so well that everybody now wants their children to become a musician or at least have something to do with the entertainment world.
“Such awards will further help to bring Africans together in one unity and this will make us a formidable people to reckon with at the international community.”
Okoroji added that such events would help promote tourism by bringing people from all over the world into Nigeria, thereby increasing the inflow of foreign currencies into the country.
He said: “The musical contents we are producing and exporting to other parts of the world have been very productive, because of its ingenuity in the messages we pass across.”
The COSON boss urged the government to pay attention to the creativity industry, because of the potential it has to become a major money spinner for the country.
In the same vein, a renowned Nollywood thespian, Saint Obi, said the fact that Africans were honouring Africans, without outside help, was quite awesome.
Saint Obi said: “MTV Base comes to do stuff for Africa but this is more like our own thing, grown from among us Africans, which makes me very proud as an African.
“It is a good development proving that we can actually deliver something to the international community, without the international community coming to do it for us.”
Obi told NAN that the more practitioners got rewarded for their creativity, the more people would aspire to be better and this would inadvertently lead to the production of better quality music.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Mulovhedzi, the musical director, Soweto Musical Choir, South Africa, urged the organisers of the event to try to organise workshops around the continent, before the award ceremony.
Mulovhedzi said: “There should be workshops all around the continent. Musical workshops done by AFRIMA before the awards because there is so much undiscovered talent that need to be brushed up.
“Such workshops will enable us go to rural communities to get those upcoming musicians to participate in the event.”
Mulovhedzi told NAN that the AFRIMA show was a wonderful event, because there was nothing else better than seeing Africans unite and celebrating their music.
NAN reports that the award given to the best female artiste in West Africa went to Aramide, while that for the male artiste went to Flavour.
The best female artiste for Northern Africa went to Zina Daoudia, while that for the male artiste went to DJ Van ft Tyrane.
The best female artiste for Eastern Africa went to Cindy Sanny, while that for the male artiste went to Diamond Platinum.
The best female artiste for Southern Africa went to Sally Boss Madam, while that for the male artiste went to Black Coffee.
Other awards included best female inspirational music, which was conferred on Naomi Achoum, while that for the male category went to Icha Kavons.
The best African contemporary artiste went to Flavour, while the most Promising Artiste in Africa was given to Amine Aub.