Marking the annual Africa Day
Every year on May 25, the world celebrates Africa Day. Africa Union says the day is an opportunity for Africans to remember that on May 25, 1963, 32 African countries signed the Charter of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which later evolved into AU. Only 30 of them were independent from colonial rule at the time. The charter called for greater unity among African nations. It supported the independence of African countries from colonialism and apartheid and promoted economic and political cooperation with a vision that all people on the continent would live freely and in prosperity.
The AU reports that Africa Day is also an opportunity to reflect on the progress made by the organisation in achieving its goals, especially concerning protecting the human rights and freedoms of Africans. With the Africa Day theme changing annually, AU declared 2023 as the year of “Acceleration of The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) implementation”.
Intentional entertainment
Multinational entertainment establishments have always come in to light up this day. In 2022, Google’s YouTube held a return of the physical Africa Day Concert in partnership with the youth entertainment television channel MTV Base after a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Thousands of music lovers thronged the annual event held in Nigeria.
This year, Google has unveiled a range of programmes and activities to celebrate Africa’s diverse cultural heritage and provide opportunities for people all over the world to experience and engage with the creativity and richness of Africa.
“Africa Day is a celebration of progress, unity, and the vibrant cultures that define the continent. We are excited that we can amplify these stories and experiences on our platforms. From exploring our rich artistic heritage through Google Arts & Culture to dancing along to the #CelebrateAfrica playlist on YouTube Music, and engaging with compelling narratives. We are happy to share and celebrate Africa culture with the world,” says the company’s country director for Eastern Africa Agnes Gathaiya.
Among the programs unveiled is the addition of six new pocket galleries on Google Arts & Culture, curated by partners from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. The galleries offer an immersive experience of virtual exhibitions, providing a 360-degree view of artworks and artefacts, effectively allowing people to step into the heart of Africa’s cultural scene from wherever they are.
The partners include the National Museums of Kenya, Mohamed Amin Foundation, Yemisi Shyllon Museum and Terra Kulture from Nigeria and the University of Pretoria from South Africa. Each partner presents unique exhibitions that celebrate their respective regions,
providing a diverse exploration of Africa’s rich cultural heritage.
YouTube Music also unveiled an Africa Day playlist that features popular and trending songs from various African artistes. This initiative also involves the public, who had the opportunity to submit their favourite African songs via YouTube Shorts for a chance for it to potentially feature on the playlist. The celebrations also highlighted African storytelling traditions through the “Stories and Storytellers of Africa” initiative, which spotlights an extensive collection of African movies and series, celebrating the creators who bring these narratives to life.
Community patterns
As a way of letting the fans commemorate Africa Day in style, Spotify, an audio streaming and media services provider, also made a special playlist dubbed “Africa Heat”, which comprised African hit music.
“Our African Heat playlist is the biggest flagship playlist for African music, with more than one million people tuned in. We are taking our fans behind the curtains to see how this playlist, representing songs from all across the continent, was made,” says Spotify’s Benewaah Boateng.
She adds that every Spotify playlist always starts with a spark and so is the African Heat. While making the playlist, her first questions in mind were; “Who are the fans? Where are they from? What do they like and enjoy and have on repeat?
“The patterns that emerged helped identify that the listeners of African Heat are more of a community. Regardless of their location, they were completely open to exploring the sounds of the continent. Creating the playlist requires a deft hand and an eye for the new. It’s a fine balance between discovery and popularity. A prediction of what might be of interest to the listeners, and what they already know and love. It’s a balancing act of using data to back the instincts of a seasoned music editor,” she says.
Community patterns
The 50-song playlist was curated to help African audience enjoy their musical favourites and discover the next big thing off of the continent. It consists of stars such as Burna Boy, Fireboy DML and Ayra Starr, among other global household names.
“The playlist boasts some bangers that are currently enjoying massive airplay like Yahyuppiyah by Uncle Waffles and People by Libianca ft Ayra Starr and Omah Lay, and are a big part of social media song and dance challenges by a global audience showcasing the ability of African music and musicians to leapfrog over language barriers. The African Heat playlist is rolling deep with genres including Afrobeat, amapiano, Afro-pop, hip-hop and bongo flava. There also seems to be some new heat on the horizon,” she says in conclusion.
