By Patience Moses Chat
Awards have become a popular culture globally. They are all means of celebrating excellence and success attained by specific individuals in different fields of human endeavor. In the entertainment industry, especially in music, there are different awards and festivals organized to celebrate successful artists in the industry, based on the various genres of music, ranging from hip-hop to reggae to rock and roll and many others.
Different music awards peculiar to the music industry in Africa are the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), Black Entertainment Television (BET) awards, MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA), among others.
The industry is set to welcome another award and festival, Trace Awards and Festivals, which is introduced by global music powerhouse and Afro-music tastemaker, Trace, to mark its 20th anniversary.
Trace Awards and Festival is a stunning new live awards ceremony and festival celebrating the creativity, coolness, and confidence of African and Afro-inspired music and culture around the world.
Focusing a global spotlight on musicians, creators, entrepreneurs and achievers from across Africa and the African diaspora, the first Trace Awards and Festival will take place in Kigali, Rwanda from Friday 20 to Saturday 21 October 2023, in partnership with Visit Rwanda and QA Venue Solutions Rwanda, the venue management company of BK Arena.
The event will comprise a 3-hour live televised spectacular music ceremony on 21 October 2023, preceded by a 2-day cultural festival designed to entertain and empower music creators and fans.
Featuring performances from the biggest African and Afro-descent artists in the world, The Trace Awards will be staged at East Africa’s biggest indoor arena, BK Arena, located in Kigali, Rwanda, in front of 7,500 music super fans, musicians, opinion formers, style-setters and influencers from Africa and around the globe. The Awards will recognize a broad range of music genres from Afrobeat to Dancehall, Afro-pop, Mbalax, Amapiano, Zouk, Kizomba, Genge, Coupé Décalé, Bongo Flava, Soukous, Gospel, Rap, Kompa, R&B, and Rumba, while saluting artists in several cultural/lifestyle categories.
The campaign will also feature multiple build-up events, an awards tour, parties and screenings in Africa, Europe, the USA, the UK, Brazil, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean.
Nigerian TRACE Senior Vice President of Global Business Development, Sam Onyemelukwe, will serve as co-executive producer of the Awards and Festival.
Trace Awards is targeted at lovers of African and Afro-inspired music and culture around the world. It will broadcast live on TRACE channels in more than 180 countries around the world. The awards will also be aired on Trace’s terrestrial and satellite TV partner channels around the world.
According to Trace Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Olivier Laouchez, since its very first day, Trace has been promoting and showcasing the diversity and power of Afro-urban culture. There is no better way to celebrate our milestone 20th birthday than with this exciting new music and cultural franchise.
In his own words, “Trace Awards is our way of celebrating the artistry, vision and impact of musicians and other leaders in the urban cultural landscape with an out-of-this-world ceremony that highlights and rewards their success and influences both in Africa and on the world stage.
“We are thrilled to stage the inaugural TRACE Awards in Rwanda on 21 October, and look forward to hosting this global celebration of African culture in our beautiful country, promoting Rwanda as a destination for cultural tourism experiences and hosting world-class events.”
Also, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rwanda Convention Bureau, Janet Karemera, noted that hosting the event in Rwanda will be a great platform for the country’s growing creative industry to showcase its diverse creativity, talent and rich Rwandan cultural heritage.
