Dakar Jan. 17 (BNA): African music stars graced the red carpet last weekend at the annual All Africa Music Awards, celebrating the continent’s best talent.
The four-day event culminated Sunday night at an award ceremony in the suburbs of Senegalese capital, Dakar, and included performances from some of Africa’s most celebrated musicians such as Nigeria’s P-Square, Tiwa Savage, Mali’s Rokia Kone, Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dor and Baba Maal.
Ivorian singer Didi B won Song of the Year for his rap song “Tala”. Taking to the stage in front of a boisterous crowd, he thanked his colleagues and said it was his first award of the year, AP reports.
“I dedicate it to my mom and my fans,” said the Ivorian rapper, singer, and songwriter.
“Tala” – an Ivorian slang used to describe a type of dance – was viewed nearly 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 francophone country. Nigeria has hosted most of the events, including the most recent one in Lagos in 2021, where Malian singer Ibrahim Mohamedou Fili Sissoko, better known as Iba One, won Best Album. This year, One took home Best Songwriter.
Other popular singers also took home awards on Sunday, including Nigerian Afrobeat star Burna Boy who won Best Act in Africa. Another Nigerian, Asake, won Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Wizkid won Best Work in West Africa.
Organizers say AFRIMA aims to connect African musicians to global markets while embracing the continent’s cultural diversity and heritage.
“This is an exciting moment in African music and we are proud of the way these artists have been able to cross into so many markets both locally and even globally,” said Mike Dada, Executive Director of the event.
More than 9,000 entries were submitted for this year’s competition, the highest since its inception in 2014. The winners beat out more than 380 entries in 39 categories representing five regions of Africa as well as the diaspora.