AFRIMA Received 9,076 Entries For The 2022 Awards 

The International Committee of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) announced in a press release that it had received a total of 9,076 submissions for the 2022 edition.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

Since the award was established in 2014 to honor African music, the 2022 submission shows a new record for the most entries.

Creatives from all five areas of the continent, as well as from Europe and North America, submitted the submissions that broke the record. Beginning on Monday, May 30, and continuing through Friday, August 30, the submission period for submissions spanned two months.

Hadja Kobele, an AFRIMA juror who represents the diaspora in North America, commented on the record-breaking entries:

“This development is a clear indicator that AFRIMA is the pinnacle of African music globally, and Africans value the importance of celebrating themselves, as culture remains one of our strongest tools for global unification, as well as economic growth.”

Eastern Africa, which accounts for 31.8 percent of all entries and has an amazing 2,890 of them, leads the field. With 2,863 submissions or 31.5 percent of the total, the West African area came in second. With 1,659 submissions or 18.2% of the total, Southern Africa likewise produced excellent numbers. 941 submissions from Central Africa were submitted, or 10.3 percent. Northern Africa wasn’t left out either, with 373 submissions, or a meager 4.1 percent, of the total. The diaspora also made its presence known, contributing 349 entries, or 3.8 percent of all submissions.

A 13-member jury is scheduled to arrive in Lagos, Nigeria, on August 11 for an 8-day adjudication procedure in accordance with the AFRIMA 2022 timeline.

The nominees for each of the already recognized categories will be chosen by a jury made up of seasoned professionals from the diaspora, notably North America and Europe, and all five areas of the African music business.

On Monday, August 22, 2022, a public announcement will officially reveal the nominees. The public voting process will start on Monday, August 29, 2022, a week after the AFRIMA Voters Academy begins to cast its votes. This will take place on the AFRIMA website.