A call has gone out from African musicians, filmmakers, music executives, investors, policymakers and creative entrepreneurs for stronger collaboration on the continent.
While also calling for more investments in the creative sector, the stakeholders urged greater cultural exchange to help Africa build a stronger and globally competitive creative industry.
The strident calls came from Africa Music Business Conference held at Marriott Hotel in Casablanca on Tuesday, June 24, and organised by All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) in partnership with African Union and key Moroccan partners including the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI), Royal Air Maroc, BigTime Morocco, Afrobian & Marriott Casablanca.
Those who graced the event included Egyptian-American comedian Bassem Hossad; Moroccan Afrobian star and AFRIMA Ambassador for Northern Africa, Ahmed Soultan; Moroccan rapper Khtek, Moroccan producer Bayadis, AFRIMA Regional Director for Eastern Africa, Mike Strano; rapper Young Loun, rapper Real Khalid, artiste manager Tayze, Moroccan singer Inkonnu, Nigerian filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, Chinese investors interested in Africa’s creative industry and several others. Popular Moroccan DJ Soufiane entertained guests with energetic performances throughout the conference.
Hosted by Moroccan On Air Personality, Latis, the conference featured two panel discussions on how the creative industry can promote African unity and the growing influence of Moroccan artistes across North Africa and the rest of the continent.
The speakers agreed that Africa’s creative industry could only reach its full potential if artistes, investors, governments and creative organisations work together more closely.
The speakers encouraged African creatives to build stronger partnerships within the continent before looking outside Africa for opportunities. According to them, Africa already has the talent, culture and creativity needed to compete with the rest of the world.
Speaking at the conference, AFRIMA Ambassador for Northern Africa, Ahmed Soultan, shared how AFRIMA changed his career.
“I was the first Moroccan and one of the first North African artistes to submit my music to AFRIMA. At the time, I never imagined how much that decision would change my life. AFRIMA opened the door for me to connect with the rest of Africa. It introduced my music to new audiences and gave me opportunities to work with people I might never have met,” he confessed.
Soultan described AFRIMA as an important bridge between North Africa and the rest of the continent.
“Today, AFRIMA connects artistes from every part of Africa and even the African Diaspora. Many artistes from West, East and Southern Africa want to enter the North African market, but don’t know how to begin. At the same time, many North African artistes want to work with musicians from other African countries. AFRIMA makes those connections possible.
“Every year, we receive more entries from North Africa, but we want to see even more. We want more artistes, producers and creative entrepreneurs from Morocco and the entire region to work with the rest of Africa. Some of the best collaborations we have seen have involved North African artistes working with musicians from other regions. We need many more partnerships like that,” the musician stressed.
Kunle Afolayan, however, urged young African creatives to understand that success comes through hard work and strong relationships.
“Whatever area of the creative industry you choose, always give it your best. But talent alone is not enough. Build relationships because nobody succeeds alone. Where I come from, we say one tree cannot make a forest. Build the right connections, create the right platforms and continue learning from others. Many of the opportunities we enjoy today came through relationships that were built many years ago,” he said.
The filmmaker praised AFRIMA for going beyond giving awards. “AFRIMA is doing much more than celebrating talented people. It has become a platform where musicians, filmmakers, investors, entrepreneurs and government officials meet, share ideas and build businesses together. That is exactly what Africa needs if we want to build a strong creative economy.”
Moroccan rap star Khtek also encouraged African musicians to use AFRIMA to build stronger partnerships across the continent, also insisting that Morocco has the potential to become one of Africa’s major creative centres.
“We have already seen how collaborations between North African artistes and musicians from other parts of Africa have created powerful cultural connections. Now, we need to do even more. We need more collaborations, more joint projects and more opportunities that will help African artistes grow together.
“Imagine artistes from every region of Africa coming to Morocco to make music, exchange ideas and build lasting friendships. That is how we remove barriers. That is how we make African music stronger. AFRIMA gives us that opportunity and we should all take advantage of it,” she stated.
According to Mike Strano, Africa’s music industry is growing rapidly and attracting global attention. “The African music industry has never received this level of international recognition. But our biggest opportunity is still within Africa. Imagine what can happen when artistes from Lagos, Nairobi, Casablanca, Kigali, Dakar and Johannesburg work together, not just creatively but also commercially. That is the kind of music industry AFRIMA is building.
“This conference shows that Africa’s creative economy is no longer just about potential. Investors are here. Governments are paying attention. Artistes are ready to work together. Our next task is to build strong systems that will allow African talents to succeed from within the continent before taking their creativity to the rest of the world,” he noted.