Times Of Swaziland: AFRONATION BRINGING IT BACK TO MOTHERLAND! AFRONATION BRINGING IT BACK TO MOTHERLAND! ================================================================================ Nombuso Dlamini on 24/08/2022 08:31:00 MBABANE – Welcome to Africa! The biggest music festival in the world will be held this year in Ghana, on December 29th to the 30th. Some African artists will be considered to perform at the festival. The show has mostly dwelled and created under the Afrobeats music genre. It was held in Portugal over a month ago, and had an Amapiano section, which is a genre that originated in South Africa (SA).The Portuguese show had one of Eswatini’s very own Amapiano artists, Uncle Waffles, representing the nation. The upcoming show edition of the show has revealed that African acts will gain first preference and that the organisers have decided to make an even bigger section for the Amapiano section. The festival opening its doors for all African acts who are prominent in this genre, has opened up the chance for Eswatini’s very own for the event. Concession is huge and an artist’s social footprint is one way the organising team will choose who will be firing up the stage in December. The kingdom currently has a considerable number of internationally recognised artists who are shining through co-signs and social presence, like AyaCity, Yung Zesh and DJ Master P, among others. Some local acts had something to say about the snippet of light, through this show with local Amapiano sensation, DJ AyaCity, who has been recently bagging gigs across the border and getting love from artists like DBN Gogo and Kabza de Small, who are huge internationally. Amapiano “We definitely stand a chance at these events, because of the impact and presence we as artists in Eswatini are starting to show. Amapiano is huge, it is a movement that is now recognised internationally because of the impact it has,” said AyaCity. The artist further mentioned that social media presence plays a huge role in one’s career and it is something that the festival had mentioned to be a vital factor, for them in choosing artists for the event. Afronation gives a global platform to artists who are loved at that time. The festival currently has four shows under their belt with 150 live performances in front of over 100 000 people across three continents; Africa, Europe and America. “To round off what has been an incredible year, in collaboration with the Ghanaian Government and our festival partners,we have purchased the main stage used at the Afronation Portugal 2022 and it is currently being shipped to Accra for Afronation Ghana 2022,” as posted on the official page of the festival. ABOUT AFRONATION Boasting of over 200 000 kilometers of coastline and an average temperature of 25 degrees in July, the Algarve is the perfect destination for lovers of golden sand and glistening sea. Portimão is the largest city in western Algarve and is a hub for tourism, leisure and retail. The historic centre has a distinctively Portuguese ambience with plenty for you to do during your stay. From beach relaxation and enjoying the local cuisine to exploring historical sites, there’s something for everyone.The 2022 edition of Afro Nation Portugal brought together the best artists in Afrobeats, Hip Hop, RnB, Dancehall, new to the festival Amapiano, Afro House and more. World-class production and iconic live performances and DJ sets, over three days were dished out. The line-up consisted of internationally renowned musicians like Burna Boy, Wizkid, Mega Thee Stallion, Diamond Platinumz, Kizz Daniel, Naira Marley, R2Bees, Patoranking, Tems, Wande Coal and other artists. Being the first and only liSwati artist booked at the festival, Waffles performed alongside other SA entertainers with the likes of Focalistic, Kabza De Small, Major League DJs DJ Maphorisa, DBN Gogo, De Mthuda, Juls, Kamo Mphela, Mr Jazziq, Young Stunna and Vigro Deep.