By Ashemiriogwa Emmanuel
Three new categories have been added to the existing 37 award categories of the All African Music Awards (AFRIMA) for the 2021 edition as the submission of entries is set to close on Friday, August 20, 2021.
Approved by the International Committee of AFRIMA and The AFRIMA International Jury, the three new categories include Best Soundtrack in a movie/series/documentary film, Best Global Sound, and Breakout Artiste of the Year.
The added award titles were selected to recognize, reward and celebrate music works in all aspects, including their application in the movie industry.
Announcing the development, Mrs Hadja Kobele, member of the AFRIMA International Jury, explained that the creation of these new honour titles was to capture talented productions across the increasing facet of music.
In her words, “The scope of the music industry is becoming increasingly broad, with multiple expressions of music and complex production techniques becoming more popular, and it is AFRIMA’s mandate to support the music industry in Africa, thus, the need to recognize and reward some of these talented productions.”
She further explained what each of the three awards stands for and the attributes to which candidates will be nominated under such categories.
“The category for “Best Soundtrack in a movie/series/Documentary” is awarded to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. Some pre-existing music is allowed, though, but a contending film must include a minimum of original music.
“While “Best Global Sound” will be awarded to the artists who primarily are not African, but whose songs have received widespread recognition in Africa and around the world. “Breakout Artiste of the Year” is awarded to a new artist whose songs have received widespread recognition within their career span,” Mrs Kobele said.
According to the AFRIMA 2021 Calendar, entries for the 2021 edition will close on August 20, and a pre-screening process, where submitted entries will go through screening, would be done from August 21 to 28, 2021.
Afterwards, the International Jury of AFRIMA comprising a 13-man panel of experienced African music experts and practitioners will carry out the adjudication process from August 29 to September 6.
AFRIMA awards celebrate excellence in musical artistry in Africa and the Diaspora. It now features 40 categories across the five regions of Africa and the music genre, with a reward of 23.9-carat gold AFRIMA plated trophy.