AFRIMA moves to promote Congolese Rumba music heritage

The All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA)) plans to promote, protect and preserve the globally-renowned heritage of Congolese Rumba.

AFRIMA’s Executive President and Producer, Mike Dada, said this in a statement in Lagos on Thursday.

AFRIMA, in line with its mandate to develop the African creative ecosystem, the AFRIMA team met with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and stakeholders of its creative industry in Kinshasa.

This was to discuss possible ways to protect the globally-renowned heritage of Congolese Rumba.

Dada appreciated the DRC hosts.

He said that the Congolese Rumba was in December 2021 added to the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) list of world intangible heritages.

According to him, sparking conversation into the need to protect the iconic genre, which has long been revered as the soundtrack of Congolese history was quite necessary.

He noted that the partnership was strategic and vital as a prelude to the Biennale of the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence, which was scheduled to hold in Kinshasa at the end of the year.

“AFRIMA, which is celebrating its eighth edition in November this year, has always been a beacon of hope for the African creative industry.

“As the rest of the world celebrates our popular music, it is important that we honour and safeguard our pioneering and iconic genres, which have shaped our global image for several decades.

“The Congolese Rumba is such a powerful genre that is at the risk of being forgotten by the current generation of music lovers in Africa.

“And it is our responsibility as a pan-African body to showcase it and transfer this heritage to our younger music lovers,” he said.

Dada urged entertainers, across the continent and their counterparts of African descent based in the diaspora to submit their entry for possible nomination at the awards this year.

“The submission deadline for the entries, which has been set at Aug. 5, 2022, will not be extended this year.

“All entry submissions can be done via the AFRIMA website at www.afrima.org, which also contains information about the guidelines as well as eligibility status for prospective entrants.

“The AFRIMA awards ceremony will feature a four-day fiesta of music, glitz and glamour.

“The event is scheduled to commence with the welcome soiree, followed by the AFRIMA Music Village, the host city tour, African Music Business Summit and the exclusive nominees’ party and concluded with the live awards ceremony broadcast to over 84 countries around the world,” he said.

Catherine Furaha, Honourable Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, DRC, who received the AFRIMA team, lauded the initiative.

Furaha said it would be beneficial to allow the Congolese Rumba to play a role in the unification of Africans as well as develop the entertainment industry in the Central African region.

In partnership with the African Union Commission, AFRIMA is a youth-focused music platform that recognises and rewards the work and talents of African artistes across generations.

It primarily stimulates conversations among Africans and also the rest of the world, especially on the potential of the creative arts for fostering real human enterprise as well as contributing significantly to social cohesion and sustainable development in Africa.

The programme of events is in line with the AU Agenda 2063 which outlines Aspiration 05 as the development of the arts and culture sector including its cultural and creative industries, to boost the development of the African economy.

The AFRIMA delegates were treated to special closed-door performance by Congolese superstars and previous AFRIMA winner, Fally Ipupa, who serenaded the whole team with their enigmatic Rumba melodies and dance moves.