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Wizkid the god, African surprises, and a shaky Seyi Shay created one of the best editions ever

Bring on the excitement, the colour, the conversations, the fury, the banter and the glory. All of this means next year, there will be a bigger and better AFRIMA.

I have attended all three editions of the All Africa Music Awards. I have seen the start of the event, where the new team pretty much went against inertia to create something that had the potential become a continental force. And this year, I have seen that potential slowly begin to manifest into something potent.

This year AFRIMA always was going to be a big deal. In 2015, President and Executive Producer AFRIMA, Mr Mike Dada, assembled a strong team to deliver a strong show, with backing from the African Union, the highest political body in Africa. The funding was never a problem, delivery was all that mattered. That year delivered a great but ineffective spectacle. In 2016, they came through, although the event was almost marred by the crowd control issues.

It’s difficult to say exactly how the 2017 AFRIMA will be remembered in the future. But we are sure of one thing: This is a milestone that will stand as the year AFRIMA penetrated mainstream consciousness, broke the barrier of entry in the heart. It can no longer be taken for granted.

This year, the award show was special. It was a confluence of stunning performances, controversial award winners and African-music relevance. Although the lack of a stunning or earth-shaking acceptance speech was evident, the show still had enough factors coming together to push it to the edge. Thanks to Seyi Shaywe have a classic moment.

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Oh, how the sexy has fallen.

Nigerians really represented their primary constituency right. We were right in the mix, competing for every award, going hard in major categories, and threatening to steal the thunder at every turn. Simigave a fitting performance of ‘Joromi’, and her co-conspirator, Falz throwing on the energy with a performance of ‘La fete’. His hypeman Shody has to be the best in Nigeria right now. Vector never looked more like a star as he did performing his single ‘Adura’, with dancers and a freestyle thrown in to excite the crowd.

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Harrysong cemented his journey to independence, by bringing a masquerade onstage, and having his dancers carry a giant Coat Of Arms. Even international acts such as Becca (Ghana), Toofan (Togo), Locko (Cameroon) and Thandiswa (South Africa) gave super performances that lifted the Eko Convention Center, a venue that is prone to deafness.

But there isn’t a better way to fully grasp how important this event was until you bring in the Wizkid factor. Previous years have not had a star of his magnitude grace the event to set the cameras rolling, and the news spinning. The singer is a man-god in Nigeria. His entrance mid-event caused a ruckus, with screams drowning out an unfortunate performer. Everyone acknowledged his presence. Host Akon gave a shoutout, Becca dropped a seductive “Hey Wizkid,” and she was roundly booed for stepping to Nigeria’s darling.

“Find your own Koffi, or go and date Sarkodie,” a lady who sat beside me screamed. Wizkid belongs to Nigeria and will only date Nigerians.

But the summary of it is that Wizkid won three awards, showed up at the event, smiled for photos, and added credibility to the event. That’s a blessing to any award organiser. Big stars are the cream of award shows. A concert where arguably the biggest pop artist on the continent made an appearance is a big deal. Wizkid made it a big deal.

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Of course, there were a few eye-raising moments. African music expert, Rikki Stein mixed up the gender of the winners from Northern Africa, and French Montana was nominated for every award but failed to pick up one. Sorry Morocco. There was also the little matter of Eddy Kenzo’s “Biology” picking up the Album of the Year, over the illustrious “Sounds From The Other Side.” Toofan also beat Davido to win Best African Pop. But all of that was washed away when 2face Idibia picked up a trophy for Best African Reggae, Ragga, Dancehall for ‘Holy holy.’

“We still dey collect dey go?” the happy singer asked, before waving his thanks and giving an emotional appreciation of his wife whose birthday it was. I wiped tears from my cheeks. Real men cry.

There was also the electricity from the Wizkid-Davido rivalry which was predicted to be a thing. Wizkid clearly won this round, strutting off with three trophies into the morning, and transferring the conversation to social media where the online armies are arguing about superiority. All of this benefits AFRIMA. It brings them into a conversation that’s central to how pop music is perceived in Nigeria, thereby offering them the credentials to be taken seriously.

Such an ending to the night carries with it an energy that serves all parties well. The relevance of AFRIMA has skyrocketed, Wizkid is strutting with three trophies he ranks high. There’s a fury on social media, more African countries are inclusive, and it can only get better.

Bring on next year. Bring on the excitement, the colour, the conversations, the fury, the banter and the glory. All of this means next year, there will be a bigger and better AFRIMA.

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