Login
Music In Africa
Artists (48,147) Organizations, Networks & Associations (4,632) Artist Service Providers (4,446) Music Education (3,171) Archives & Media (519) Events & Venues (227)
Solo artists
Composers, arrangers & songwriters
Producers
Bands /groups
DJs
Sound artists
Other
Session artists
Choirs, orchestras & ensembles
Spoken word
News Reviews Features Themes Gig Guide
SA: 2026 Music Exchange to focus on rights, AI and the entertainment economy

SA: 2026 Music Exchange to focus on rights, AI and the entertainment economy

Ghana: Mr Eazi teams up with MOLIY on new single ‘Comfort’

Ghana: Mr Eazi teams up with MOLIY on new single ‘Comfort’

NAAK and Vumaala to take SA electronic sounds to Amsterdam

NAAK and Vumaala to take SA electronic sounds to Amsterdam

South African music veteran Babsy Mlangeni dies aged 83

South African music veteran Babsy Mlangeni dies aged 83

SA: Moonchild Sanelly to release Afro-house project ‘The Blueprint’

SA: Moonchild Sanelly to release Afro-house project ‘The Blueprint’

SA: Sasa MSK teams up with S’Villa, Epic Minds on new single ‘Sabela’

SA: Sasa MSK teams up with S’Villa, Epic Minds on new single ‘Sabela’

Feather Awards 2026 in SA: All the nominees

Feather Awards 2026 in SA: All the nominees

ACCES nominated for best music biz conference at MBAA

ACCES nominated for best music biz conference at MBAA

Milk + Cookies Festival to return to South Africa in January 2027

Milk + Cookies Festival to return to South Africa in January 2027

Snapchat adds AI tools that turn chats into songs for Lens+ subscribers

Snapchat adds AI tools that turn chats into songs for Lens+ subscribers

Kenya: Tommy WÁ and Labdi to perform in Nairobi as part of MobiArts Tour

Kenya: Tommy WÁ and Labdi to perform in Nairobi as part of MobiArts Tour

Roster launches Star Power tool to compare artists using public music data

Roster launches Star Power tool to compare artists using public music data

NEFCISA
NEFCISA

The Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF) is proud of its partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) as a Strategic Implementing Partner (SIP) for its Social Employment Fund (SEF). Through this collaboration, MIAF is running a national programme that is creating jobs, addressing skills gaps, and strengthening South Africa's creative industries — in line with the SEF's overarching goal to generate work for the common good and build community value through employment, social contribution, and inclusive economic participation. Operating under the banner NEFCISA (National Employment Facility for Creative Industries in South Africa), the initiative is recruiting and training participants, matching them with host organisations, and has already placed 1 500 workers across the country — surpassing its original target of 1 000. NEFCISA is delivered through a network of 20 host organisations spanning five provinces, who are actively hosting participants and contributing to work for the common good across South Africa's creative and cultural industries. Key Objectives: Support employment and entrepreneurship in the creative industries. Offer skills development and training programmes. Foster partnerships between public and private creative sectors. Promote South African creativity at both provincial and national levels Foster community development through social contribution.

ACCES
ACCES

ACCES Conference and Showcase Festival is Africa's leading music industry gathering, bringing together the people shaping the future of the continent's music business. Artists, entrepreneurs, executives, investors, policymakers and cultural leaders from across Africa and around the world come to ACCES to build partnerships, exchange ideas, discover talent and create new business opportunities. Since its launch in 2017, ACCES has become the continent's premier platform for professional exchange and music market development. Combining a high-level conference with a curated showcase festival, networking, exhibitions and industry programmes, ACCES offers a unique space where creativity meets business and where African music connects with the global industry.

Gender@Work
Gender@Work

Music In Africa Gender @ Work is a three-year training programme aimed at upskilling and increasing the participation of female professionals in the African music sector. Launched by the Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF) in April 2019, the programme is connected to the MIAF’s ACCES music conference – a pan-African event held in a different African country every year. This connection enables the programme to reach new participants in a different African country every year. The programme marks the beginning of a more concerted effort by the Foundation to support the participation and inclusion of women in all facets of its programmes and the music sector in Africa as a whole. Over the three years, the programme will aim to address gender imbalances in the sector through training, lobbying, facilitating knowledge exchange and dialogues that foster the interest of women. The broader objectives of the programme are to: Provide industry training for women on critical music industry skills, focusing on: Stage management Electronic music production and recording Music business management Technical knowledge Provide an opportunity for both professional and aspiring women to benefit from the Music In Africa network and its broad range of activities in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Provide a solution-based platform in the form of a round table at ACCES with a view to identify challenges, discuss opportunities and lobby for the interests of female practitioners. Offer participants the opportunity to benefit from programmes offered by MIAF’s partners. Increase access to educational materials. Integrate participants in the broader ACCES programme to maximise experience and exposure to the industry. Record and present training materials on the www.musicinafrica.net, including but not limited to tutorials, templates and other best-practice materials. Communicate women-based themes that support the initiatives and messages of the programme. MAIN TRAINING ACTIVITIES Training in first country (Ghana): In the first year, participants will be trained on all aspects of stage management by a team of experienced stage managers from 10 to 17 November 2019. The programme will offer robust classroom training as well as practical, hands-on training in which participants will also be given the opportunity to manage various aspects of the ACCES performance programme. Training in second country: The second training iteration will take place at ACCES 2020 when the programme will diversify its course to include music production lessons and training on other music business topics. A round-table platform will also be introduced to coincide with the ACCES programme. Training in third country: The third training iteration will take place at ACCES 2021 in a different country, offering an advanced course. HOW DO YOU GET INVOLVED?  As a participant, facilitator or trainer: The programme enrolls up to 12 trainees every year. All opportunities are advertised publicly on this website, and will be added to this page. Please keep checking this page for new calls (below under UPDATES & CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES). As a partner Please contact Claire Metais at [email protected]. APPLY The call for applications for 2020 will be announced soon. The Music In Africa Gender @ Work programme is made possible with the support of the Prince Claus Fund, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut.

Sound Connects Fund
Sound Connects Fund

For cultural and creative practitioners and organisations operating in southern Africa, access to funding remains a major challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a massive impact on government policy, spending and the economy in general, and has seen spending on culture being moved further down the list of priorities. Further, the cultural and creative industries repeatedly cite four main areas where investment is needed for growth, which are increased visibility, mobility including access to new markets, finance and support structures.

Instrument Building And Repair Project
Instrument Building And Repair Project

Experience the Vibrations African Instruments Exhibition online in 3D

Music In Africa
Home / Magazine / News
News

East African stars confirmed for US festival

Peter Choge By Peter Choge

21 Mar 2024 - 14:45

cc-img flag-img

New York-based event production and promotion company Duke Concept has announced a new music festival in the US that will highlight East African music.

Ugandan musician Joshua Baraka is among the East African artists who will perform at the 2024 Colors of East festival in Washington, DC, this May.

Taking place at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, on 24 May, the Colors of the East festival will bring artists from countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda

The one-day indoor festival will feature performances by Tanzanian bongo flava star Diamond Platnumz, Ethiopian hip hop act Lij Mic, Congolese rapper Innoss'B, Kenyan R&B vocalist Otile Brown and Rwandan Afrobeats act The Ben. Also set to take the stage are Somali singer Suldaan Seeraar, South Sudanese act John Frog, Ugandan genre-blender Joshua Baraka, Zambian act OC Osilliation, Tanzanian songstress Nandy, and more.

Colors of the East is Duke Concept’s newest festival to be added to its 2024 events calendar. Launched in 2011, the event production company has spotlighted top artists from Africa and the Caribbean, including Afrobeats stars like Burna Boy, Davido, Fireboy DML and Wizkid. Colors of the East will be the latest Duke Concept event to land in the Washington metropolitan area following the inaugural Rolling Cocoa festival, which focused on promoting Ghanaian music and culture, on 9 March.

Colors of the East 2024 line-up:

  • Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
  • Lij Mic (Ethiopia)
  • Innoss'B (DRC)
  • Otile Brown (Kenya)
  • The Ben (Rwanda)
  • Suldaan Seeraar (Somalia)
  • John Frog (South Sudan)
  • Joshua Baraka (Uganda)
  • OC Osilliation (Zambia)
  • Nandy (Tanzania)
  • LI John (Rwanda)
  • Shinski (Kenya)
  • Luda (Ethiopia)
  • Calvin (Kenya)
  • Onyx (Rwanda)
  • Si (Uganda)
  • Fab (Burundi)
  • Nelson Amazing (Tanzania)
  • E Money (South Sudan)
  • Vegas (Kenya)

Please log in to post a comment.

facebook twitter linkedin whatsapp email

Most popular

Asake and Wizkid.

Top Naija songs of 2026

31 Mar 2026
Sam Deep.

Top amapiano songs of 2026

16 Feb 2026
Burna Boy. Photo: Maja Moan

Top Afrobeats songs of 2026

19 Mar 2026
Rema emerged as the most decorated artist of the night, taking home three awards.

AFRIMA 2026: All the winners

12 Jan 2026

Open call: CANEX Creative Pitch for African creative enterprises

29 Sep 2026

Goethe-Institut Kenya brings Ghanaian and Kenyan artists together for MobiArts concert

05 Oct 2026

Disclaimer: Music In Africa provides a platform for musicians and contributors to embed music and videos solely for promotional purposes. If any track or video embedded on this platform violates any copyrights please inform us immediately and we will take it down. Please read our Terms of Use for more.

newsletter banner

Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter

Follow us on social media

social icon social icon social icon social icon