Music stars from across the continent will line up for tribute performances in honour of King Sunny Ade (KSA), Manu Dibango and late Papa Wemba at the 2016 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) grand finale on Sunday, November 6 at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos.
Artiste-in-Residence at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, KSA is classified as one of the most influential musicians of his time.
The Nigerian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and two-time Grammy award nominee is known for his pioneering of modern world music.
His stage performance is characterised by dexterous dancing steps and use of the guitar.
He recently clocked 70 and months of celebration continue for him in different parts of the world.
Cameroonian saxophonist and vibraphone player Manu Dibango, 82, is hailed for making an enormous contribution to African music as a whole.
Nicknamed ‘The Lion of Cameroon’, Manu Dibango is recognised for developing a music style fusing jazz, funk and traditional Cameroonian music.
His song ‘Soul Makossa’ has influenced several popular music hits, including Michael Jackson’s ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, as well as his recording of that song with Akon, the Fugees’ ‘Cowboys’, and Rihanna’s ‘Don’t Stop the Music’ and Comedian Eddie Murphy in his 1982 parody song ‘Boogie in Your butt’.
Papa Wemba, the late iconic musician from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who died at the age of 67 on April 24, 2016 during a stage performance in Cote d’Ívoire, also pioneered a blend of African, Cuban and Western sounds which became one of Africa’s most popular music styles.
Dubbed the ‘King of Rhumba Rock’, Papa Wemba was also a fashion icon who popularised the La Sape look and style through his musical group Viva la Musica, with whom he performed on stages throughout the world.
Speaking about the tribute, President and Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada, said: “Contemporary African stars will be pledging their loyalty to these grassroots legends of African music to show the beauty of their music through outstanding performances on stage during the AFRIMA awards.
“It is also a means of showing the younger generation that they can connect to music made by older generations of artistes and use this to unite the world through music.”
Mr. Dada described the three music icons as the “voices of African music and the epitome of Africanness”.
Some of the top African artistes billed to honour the legacy of the three African legends include: Kiss Daniel (Nigeria); Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania); Brymo (Nigeria); Wax Dey (Cameroon); Seyi Shay (Nigeria); Fally Ipupa (DRC), Yemi Alade (Nigeria); Victoria Kimani (Kenya); Tiwa Savage (Nigeria); Aramide (Nigeria); Niniola (Nigeria); YCee (Nigeria); TJAN (Nigeria) and Flavour (Nigeria).
In partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the support of the official host city, Lagos State, AFRIMA 2016 grand awards ceremony is preceded by The AFRIMA Music Village on Friday November 4, 2016, a non-stop music concert with over 40 African artistes performing live at the Waterfront, Bar Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos in Nigeria.
Thousands of guests are expected in Lagos for the various events.
Meanwhile, public voting for different award categories continues on the AFRIMA website.
