Musician Feli Nandi, the PPC Zimbabwe Music Awards’ (ZIMAs) Best Alternative award winner for 2023, will perform at the 2023 edition of the ACCES music conference in Dar es salaam, Tanzania, from 9 to 11 November.
ZIMAs executive member Marshall Shonhai, musician Feli Nandi and Music In Africa reporter Ano Shumba at a press briefing in Harare on 5 June. Photo: Swish Says Photography
Feli Nandi, who also won the Best Female Award at the recently held awards, will travel to Tanzania to perform in front of music industry professionals, including talent buyers, from around the world who will be at the annual pan-African music trade show.
Her performance at ACCES 2023 is part of a partnership between the Music In Africa Foundation and the PPC ZIMAs.
Organised by the MIAF in different cities across the continent, ACCES offers a platform for performers to showcase their talent to a diverse audience of local and international delegates, including festival curators, promoters, booking agents, record labels and other influential industry professionals. ACCES has been previously held Dakar (2017), Nairobi (2018), Accra (2019), Johannesburg (2021) and Dar es Salaam (2022).
This will be the second consecutive year that the music conference will take place in Tanzania, to create even more opportunities for local music professionals. It will allow participants to strengthen already existing partnerships and act as a strong catalyst for robust engagement.
“This is a great opportunity and I don’t take this moment for granted,” Feli Nandi told Music In Africa. “My whole team is already prepping for an electric, unforgettable performance at ACCES in Tanzania. Thank you so much, Music In Africa, this will be a highlight in my career.”
Feli Nandi will share the stage with artists from across the continent, with the full line-up to be announced shortly. Last year’s ACCES hosted 14 musical acts and a total of 70 individual artists, as well as 1 130 delegates representing 45 countries, who attended the conference to network and connect with relevant professionals and organisations. Companies present at the conference included Spotify, Ditto Music, Universal Music, Sheer Publishing, Electromode and The Orchard, among many others.
PPC ZIMAs executive member Fungai Zvirawa said: “Feli Nandi’s win was well deserved. I believe she’s at a tipping point in her career, which requires opportunities outside of Zimbabwe that are not limited to the Zimbabwean community. ACCES provides the required international audience that she deserves. I’d like to wish her the best of luck in her performance.”
The MIAF-PPC ZIMAs partnership makes part of the Foundation’s 10-year anniversary since its establishment as a pan-African non-profit. Other events and organisations that the MIAF has partnered with this year include the Africa Rising Music Conference (South Africa), Ayoba (South Africa/Africa), MTN Bushfire Festival (eSwatini), Bassline Fest (South Africa), FAME Week Africa (South Africa), FEMUA (Ivory Coast), JMI Global music conference (Zimbabwe) and Sauti za Busara festival (Zanzibar).
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story by Happy Modise