MIAF’s new chairperson, Ms. Aisha Deme from Senegal

Ms. Deme was appointed at the pan-African organisation’s 4^thAnnual General Meeting (AGM) held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 10 November.

One of the founding members of the organisation, Ms Deme previously served on the MIAF board as Deputy Chairperson from 2014 to 2016. She was also part of the organisation’s first management committee set up in 2012. Additionally, she worked closely with the Foundation’s Education And Content Committee established in 2015.

Ms. Dème has vast experience in the media and arts sector. As a cultural manager, her expertise is widely recognized in Senegal. In 2009, she co-founded Agendakar.com, the first web platform dedicated to arts and culture in the country. She has worked with organisations such as the Dakar Biennale, Amnesty International, Oxfam and Save The Children.

After obtaining a degree in computer science at the Ecole Supérieure Polytechnique in Dakar, Ms. Dème was a bank employee for 5 years but decided to move away from the banking sector to embark on promoting the arts. She is also studying a master’s degree in Communication.

"Being appointed Chairperson of the Music In Africa Foundation, which already covers 26 countries on the continent, is an exhilarating challenge. I take it with great humility,” said Ms. Deme after her appointment in Ethiopia.

“I pay tribute to my predecessor Dr. Ribio Nzeza Bunketi Buse for his work and thank the Music In Africa Foundation for trusting me,” she added.

MIAF also welcomed two new board members at its AGM, Mr. Faisal Kiwewa from Uganda and Mr. Adé Bantu from Nigeria. The pair replaces Mr. Bill Odidi from Kenya and Mr. Seta Ramaroson from Madagascar – two founding members who will continue to work with the Foundation in the Membership Committee and Content And Education Committee respectively.

MIAF was founded in 2013 in Kenya to take ownership of the Music In Africa project, which had been initiated in 2011 by the Siemens Foundation together with the Goethe-Institut and partners from across Africa. The mission of the organisation is to support the African music sector through promoting knowledge exchange and creating opportunities and capacity for those who operate in the sector.

The Music In Africa portal (www.musicinafrica.net), an information and exchange portal dedicated to the African music industry, is one of the flagship offerings of MIAF. Other activities of the organisation include training for music professionals, performance opportunity creation, talent discovery, capacity building and advocacy.

MIAF is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa and has regional offices in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal.