AFRICA 2.0, ONE PARTNER AFRIMA FOR AFRICAN MUSIC

Mike Dada

All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) has announced on Wednesday, October 1, that two campaigning organisations, Africa 2.0 and ONE Org, both working tirelessly to end poverty and corruption in Africa and develop positive networks of forward-thinking people, have come on board as partners and will both take part in the Award Ceremony holding in Lagos, Nigeria on Sunday, November 9.

Speaking about the partnership, ONE Africa Executive Director Dr. Sipho Moyo says; "Throughout history, we have seen how powerful of a force music can be in galvanising people around an issue.ONE worked closely this year with a number of the AFRIMA nominees to record a song about the importance of agriculture to Africa’s future. 19 African musicians using their voices to inspire more than two million Africans to take real action is just one of many reasons we should be celebrating African music". 

In the same vein, Chairman and Founder of Africa 2.0 Foundation, Mamadou Toure, states that Africa 2.0 is proud to be partner with AFRIMA which share a common vision. “Africa 2.0 and AFRIMA are emblematic of the new African Continent, which is to rebrand the face of Africa; Africa is at a tipping point. The momentum gained, when effectively utilised, will create a virtuous cycle of growth and enlightenment for all of Africa. This partnership signifies part of our vision in creating a Global movement that celebrates and endorses the best Africa has to offer”.

The President/Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada adds that, “this partnership with ONE and Africa 2.0 is an indication that

Africa is on the brink of greatness and will truly rise again with this kind of collaborations that are geared towards raising the consciousness of hope, possibilities and re-positioning of Africa through the instrumentality of advocacy, music and social responsibility.AFRIMA as a platform for communicating the strength of Africa for global competitiveness, is glad to have ONE and Africa 2.0 on board”.

Co-founded by musician, philanthropist and businessman Bono, ONE is an international campaigning and advocacy organisation of nearly six million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa -because the facts show extreme poverty has already been cut in half and can be virtually eliminated by 2030, but only if African nations act with urgency now.

ONE raises public awareness and work with political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency so governments are accountable to their citizens. ONE does not raise money itself to build schools, hospitals and the like, but does its work by advocacy and campaigning so that government funds continue to flow to programs that make a difference in people’s lives. ONE works closely with African activists and policymakers as they fight corruption, promote poverty-fighting priorities, monitor the use of aid, and help build civil society and economic development. ONE’s work is strictly politically non-partisan. Visit www.one.org to learn more

Africa 2.0 is a Pan-African Civil Society Organisation that consists of 500 young emerging leaders from across the continent and diaspora, with 29 chapters, 23 of them being in Africa. Africa 2.0 is more of a community than a network, of like minded, critical thinkers that share a collective vision for Africa and a commitment to finding and implementing sustainable solutions that will in turn leapfrog the development of the continent. Africa 2.0 provides a platform that enables change makers a common African promise.

AFRIMA recently unveiled its Nominees List for the 2014 edition and voting commenced onwww.afrima.org on Tuesday, September 30 to end on November 4. All Africa Music Awards, in partnership with the African Union Commission, AUC, will be rewarding excellence in the continental music and media industry at the main awards ceremony slated for Sunday, November 9, 2014 that will be broadcast to 84 countries on 109 television stations.

The event will be preceded by the AFRIMA Music Village between November 4 and 7, a four-day festival style open concert of non-stop music, fanfare and exhibition from countries in Africa and performances by African artistes. There will also be an African Music Summit, November 6 to 7, themed "Reviving the Business of Music in Africa". The two-day conference will be a platform for the music industry stakeholders to engage and deliberate on how the industry can be nurtured and be a major contributor to national and continental economies. AFRIMA is aimed at achieving an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa through the instrumentality of music.