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A culture and creative industry advocacy group, Arewa Creative Industry Heritage Vanguard, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Art, Culture, and Creative Economy, Hanatu Musawa, to lead efforts in securing the hosting rights for the next two editions of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) offered by the African Union Commission to Nigeria and South Africa.
They want at least one edition of the prestigious event to take place in Kaduna, Jos or Abuja due to years of deliberate marginalization and deprivation of the northern region of international events of this nature.
President of the Vanguard, Dr. Shehu Samadi, who spoke from Kaduna, said they had learnt that the African Union (AU) invited the governments of Nigeria and South Africa to submit bids for the hosting rights for the next editions of AFRIMA. Therefore, they are appealing to President Tinubu not to allow South Africa to beat Nigeria to the hosting rights as this will have implications on the national psyche of Nigerians and the development of the music industry.
It called on Musawa to update Nigerians on the progress made thus far in securing the AFRIMA hosting rights, for Nigerians to know how and where to assist in achieving this objective.
The group, which comprises cultural enthusiasts, music industry stakeholders, and advocates for northern region music heritage, recognises the significance of AFRIMA in promoting African music and fostering cultural exchange across the continent and the rest of the world.
They believe it is essential for Nigeria, especially the northern region, to play a central role in hosting the event and showcasing the country’s rich creativity and cultural diversity from its point of expertise and cultural expression.
Samadi emphasised three significant reasons why President Tinubu should champion the course of securing the hosting rights. The group recalls with nostalgia how the president in 2015, in person received “a 23.9 karat gold plated AFRIMA trophy as the pillar of Art and Culture in Africa presented by the African Union commission.”
The second reason is that as Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Tinubu can utilise the opportunity of hosting a large-scale event like AFRIMA to further his commitment towards promoting unity, economic development, and cultural diversity in Nigeria and on the continent.
Thirdly, the Nigerian music industry has witnessed astronomical global growth with little or no input from successive governments. Hosting an AFRIMA by this government provides an appropriate platform for the Tinubu administration to establish itself as a creative industry-supporting government as well as engendering positive perception and image for Nigeria to attract tourism and foreign direct investment.
“Fourth, we believe that the northern region has the potential to become a tourism hub, and hosting events like this can help mitigate the effect of insecurity in the region. “We are eager to host an event like this because we strongly believe that it could be used to address the issues that have plagued our region, including terrorism and banditry,” the group said.
strategically located, culturally significant, and have vibrant music scenes, making them ideal venues for the event.
The group expresses concern over what they perceive as a pattern of neglect in the hosting of key musical events, and they call for greater inclusivity and representation for the Northern region.
