The Recording Academy, an organization behind the Grammy Awards, has announced a global expansion plan to support music creators in different African countries and Middle East, including Rwanda. The initiative aims to provide educational resources, advocate for intellectual property rights, and celebrate the musical heritage of these regions, the Recording Academy said in a statement on Monday, June 11. ALSO READ: Confirmed: Kendrick Lamar to headline ‘Move Afrika’ in Kigali This follows the visit of Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. to Rwanda in 2022, where he met officials from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to discuss potential areas of partnership in the music industry and other related fields on the continent. To make the expansions possible, Recording Academy partnered with government ministries and cultural entities in Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Memoranda of Understanding with Ghana and Ivory Coast. Commenting on the development, RDB CEO Francis Gatare welcomed the Academy’s expansion plan to Rwanda, saying that it underscores the country’s dedication to a vibrant and dynamic cultural landscape, positioning the country at the heart of Africa’s creative renaissance. Rwanda embraces this vision of connecting the continent’s creative minds, marking a pivotal moment in our history where our culture and spirit are celebrated and shared with the world. By fostering a unified creative platform, we not only celebrate our creativity but also forge a shared path toward economic and social prosperity,” Gatare said in a statement. “Rwanda is proud to champion this significant milestone. By promoting our diverse talents, we enrich the global creative community and affirm our place as leaders in cultural expression.” ALSO READ: Trace Awards and Festival is an economic boost for Rwanda - RDB Mason Jr. said, “This is exciting because music is one of humanity’s greatest natural resources. It is critical that the people who dedicate themselves to creating music have support, resources and opportunities, no matter where they are from.” Through the partnerships, the Recording Academy will focus on several key initiatives including providing creators with a platform and advocacy, offering training like its online learning platform GRAMMY GO, and producing original content. The partnerships might also act as a wakeup call to creators in Africa and the Middle East to take advantage of cross-cultural learnings from the Recording Academy and benefit from its advocacy for strong intellectual property (IP) legislation and protections. This exploration into the Middle East and Africa is the Academy's first phase of plans to support music creators abroad, which comes the same year as the Academy celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Latin Grammy Awards, and months after Seville hosted the Latin Grammy Awards, the first Grammy Awards show to be held overseas. The Academy also recently introduced the first Best African Music Performance Grammy category, which recognizes songs that use unique local expressions from across the African continent.
