The 2016 African Music Awards (AFRIMA) in Lagos has come and gone, but a message every participant went home with is the need to produce songs and music that are socially relevant and economically empowering.
The message was given by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who hailed Nigerian musicians for putting the country’s name on the global map.
He called for a stop to songs and performances that suggest promiscuity and social rascality especially now the country is driving new mantra of “Change begins with me”.
The Minister gave the commendation in his keynote speech at the Business Roundtable of the 2016 African Music Awards (AFRIMA) in Lagos.
According to him, “The whole country is listening, dancing and sending via all forms of social media, our music and videos, and our artists clearly have more influence and reach than our law enforcement agencies. As 9ice and 2 Baba boasted, they are the ones with Street Credibility!”
Raising issues on the topic ”Championing Social Justice and Advocacy Through Music,” he observed that for music to achieve the desired objective, it must have the right content to drive home the message, saying the works of foremost musicians in Africa, including
Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Rex Lawson, Sonny Okosun, Victor Uwaifo, Dan Maraya Jos, Mamman Shatta, IK. Dairo and Ebenezer Obey continue to reverberate because of the message they contained.
The minister in a statement issued by Segun Adeyemi said “his, to me, is one of the most important and credible platforms to promote African Music globally, using Nigeria as a pivot. My sincere hope is that you will do everything possible to sustain AFRIMA which, in your own words, is propelling African Music to the glorious pinnacle far beyond the borders of Africa.”
