Dakar Music Expo dates confirmed

The annual pan-African showcase is sponsored by music legends Youssou N’Dour and Angélique Kidjo and will run under the theme, Celebrate Music. It invites guests to “discover Dakar and its musical roots” through a series of concerts, panels discussions, presentations and masterclasses, among other activities. It will also serve as a forum for musicians, producers and other industry players. 

In 2020, DMX saw the participation of 15 international and 200 local delegates. This year, the festival will unfold as a 100% digital programme in a hybrid format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “DMX, which highlights African creativity in the music industry, intends to adapt to the current health crisis and address different subjects during the five days of the event,” the organisers said.

The event is the brainchild of promoter and artistic director Doudou Sarr and the organisers say they are “pleased to unveil the programme of these new professional encounters aiming to celebrate the African music production and to gather its greatest names as well as its latest emerging talents.”

Day 1 of the expo will take place at the French Institute and feature performances by an all-female line-up including Mariaa Siga, Will’s Afro Choir, the Mauritanian Tifa and Jigeen Ni Orchestra featuring Amira Abed, Korka Dieng and Soda Mama Fall.

Day 2, also slated for theFrench institute, will spotlight exciting new voices on Africa’s pop scene, including Fulaa, Nicole Obélé, Elom20ce, Obree Damane and Diyane Adams.

Day 3 will be held at the Blaise Senghor Cultural Centre and feature Woz Kaly & Shua Ndiaye, Alibeta and Orchestra Baobab, as well as DJs Boddhi Satva , Cortega and Leuz Zarak.

The music fair will climax on June 20 at the Maison de la Culture Douta Seck, with rapper Didier Awadi as the headline act.

Apart from the showcases, DMX 2021 will feature conferences complementing the festival’s theme, with a key focus on intellectual property and digital technology and the possibilities the latter offers musicians today. There will also be panel discussions led by Radio France International’s Claudy Siar.

Additionally, DMX will feature the screening of the documentary films Africa Mia, centred around Malian band Maravillas, and Tonton Manu, which celebrates the late Cameroonian legend Manu Dibango. 

More information is available on the DMX official website.