By LaToya Henry
So, what exactly is AFRIMMA? I’m glad you asked. I had a chance to catch up with the mastermind and founder Anderson Obiagwu, known to many as “Big A”, to talk about the weekend line up, his foundation and what he plans to wear to the 9th highly anticipated African Muzik Magazine Awards [AFRIMMA].
One can agree that the entertainment industry can overlook individual talent and, in this case, entire genres of music – Afrobeats, Bongo, Hiplife…the list goes on. Being a Nigerian native, instead of ignoring the lack of exposure and limited artists recognition at various awards shows, in 2013 “Big A” created AFRIMMA to celebrate the African culture in a meaningful way, supporting all – honoring the past, highlighting the best and introducing new African artists.
The awards show began eight years ago and since then it’s expanded over time. Anderson explains,
“This year we have a fashion show, a panel discussion and the finale are the awards show.”
This is the first in-person event since the 2-year hiatus due to the pandemic, which required a lot of pivoting on their part. “We had to shift everything, move the show online and stream on YouTube. We had over 500K views,” said Anderson. Although moving to a virtual audience was successful, Anderson is grateful for the opportunity to bring AFRIMMA back to Dallas.
With over 50 Caribbean artists, 28 award categories and 10 nominees up for the Best Song of the Year – this is an event to be in the building for. Some of this year’s headliners include: Fally Ipupa, Flavour, BNXN, Rayvanny, Zuchu and many more. Friday night’s fashion show will be at Lofty Spaces and the awards show will be at Gilley’s in Dallas. The weekend will be filled with beautiful people from across the world, some of the best food, and amazing African fashion. Anderson plans to wear a customed made outfit for the awards ceremony. He didn’t share much about the color scheme or design, but I could by his facial expression that it’s going to be fly!
Anderson ended our conversation with a few words of advice for anyone in the industry trying to make it.
“You must have passion and it has to something you love doing. Believe in it and go after it.”
Anderson leads by example and is very passionate about The Big A Foundation, a charity he organized to help the communities in Africa with homelessness, medical expenses, fundamental education and more. AFRIMMA is at the forefront carrying out that mission. Throughout the weekend you can make a donation and/or purchase tickets at 2022 AFRIMMA Awards Weekend Tickets, Dallas | Eventbrite. Check out the full list of nominees and predict who will win at https://afrimma.com.
Pull up this weekend and experience the rich culture right here in Dallas, This is Africa.