Is African Music’s Foremost Awards Show Playing it Safe?

Blame it on their intrinsic nature or the human tendency for spirited conversation, but awards shows have, over time, become sites of public debate. The winners in select categories are typically the main object of debate. Dissenters challenge the discernment of the awarding body, and those in favor of the decision scramble to defend the winning artist or work, unwittingly setting an argument in motion. Other times, interesting events during the award ceremony become fodder for virulent public discourse. Entries in this category are endless, but a few noteworthy ones include: the infamous slap Will Smith delivered to Chris Rock at the Oscars, Olamide and Don Jazzy’s clash at The Headies, and Shallipopi receiving an imaginary plaque at the last Headies award. 

This year’s AFRIMA award show, however, came and went without any such spectacle. Hosted by Nigerian rapper Falz at the Eko Convention Centre, the atmosphere at the show was decidedly fusty, if solemn. The performances by Joeboy and Phyno provided much-needed entertainment but were far from truly exciting. In an era when the Nigerian music industry is undergoing a far-reaching and dramatic metamorphosis, Nigeria’s emphatic dominance at the awards show offers comfort. The sense of comfort, however, morphs into disquieting unease when one considers how predictable this year’s list of winners is. For Laho, Shallipopi took home the Song of the Year and Best African Collaboration awards. Despite the tepid critical reception of Burna Boy’s eighth studio album, I Told Them, it edged out contenders like Davido’s 5ive and Ebtadena by Egypt’s AMR Diab. 

Yemi Alade took home the award for the Best Soundtrack in a Movie, Series, or Documentary for her song You Are from Iyanu: The Animated Series. Qing Madi won the award for Most Promising Artist, and Chella, whose My Darling was one of the quiet hits of last year, took home the African Fans’ Favorite award. Rema’s was perhaps the centerpiece of this year’s show. With three wins—Artist of the Year, Best Male Artist in West Africa, and Best African R&B & Soul—and a rousing speech, which he delivered wearing an all-black ensemble, he stole the show. Phyno’s win in the Best African Artist, Duo or Group in African Hip Hop category despite his notably understated performance in 2025, was, however, the starkest sign that this set of winners is more reflective of the orthodoxy than the current reality of Africa’s music landscape. 

Depending on who you ask, the notable absence of fiery debate around AFRIMA 2026 can be seen as either a positive or a negative. Critics argue that debates and discussions after a major awards show make up part of the fun, while those in support contend that the absence of skirmishes indicates that a critical mass of the public is satisfied with the results. This view, however, belies another plausible explanation: public interest in the show seems to be on the decline. That has been a common trend among global awards shows. Reports by The Guardian and Forbes reveal a steady decline in the viewership of vaunted awards like The Oscars and The Grammys. These award shows are aware of this trend and many are working frantically to reverse the trend. The Golden Globe Awards recently incorporated a category for podcasts, a move the New York Times disparagingly referred to as “a bid for relevance.” The Academy Awards (Oscars) recently announced a plan to exclusively move to YouTube by 2029, which they hope will help them reach a broader global and younger audience. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards have taken a more proactive approach, rebranding as “Actor Awards” and finding a new home on the streaming giant Netflix.

The most salient denouement of this trend has, however, been that awards shows around the world are starting to realize that they exist to curate taste as opposed to mindlessly reflecting mass appeal. This is where AFRIMA finds itself in a bind. Despite its esteemed reputation, AFRIMA’s selection process involves culling a nominations list from thousands of entries. The final selection is, however, left to fans, who can each vote up to 40 times for their favored candidate. Which is to say that it plays an ancillary role in curating the final selection and that the whole process is in some sense a popularity contest. If the marked paucity of conversations around AFRIMA 2026 suggests a decreased interest in the awards show, it’s because, in our post-monocultural society, where there’s hardly a single picture that embodies the sweep of culture, generating excitement, to a large extent, comes down to making bold bets reflected across the operations of an award show.