MASA 2026: ACA Partners with Embassy of Spain, Spanish Cooperation Office, and Ckrowd to Host Training for Nigerian Artists
Ibadan, Nigeria – [8/19/2025] From 25–29 August 2025, Ibadan will become the hub of cultural preparation as Arts Connect Africa (ACA), in partnership with the MASA Performing Arts Festival and Conference, the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria, the Spanish Cooperation Office, and Ckrowd, delivers a five-day intensive training programme designed to prepare Nigerian artists for participation in the prestigious MASA 2026 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The training programme will equip Nigerian artists with practical tools, strategies, and insights for successfully navigating international cultural markets, with a dedicated focus on leveraging opportunities at MASA, one of Africa’s largest performing arts festivals. Sessions will cover areas such as international touring, cross-cultural collaboration, festival programming, cultural diplomacy, and artistic sustainability in global contexts. This initiative reflects a shared commitment by ACA and its partners to strengthen Nigeria’s creative economy by ensuring artists are not only visible on international stages. Still, they are also fully prepared to maximise opportunities for growth, networking, and cultural exchange. Speaking on the programme, [Kayode Adebayo, CEO Ckrowd Africa, and ACA Board Member] noted:“MASA represents one of the most important platforms for African creativity. By preparing Nigerian artists through this programme, we are investing in the skills, confidence, and international readiness needed to showcase Nigeria’s cultural excellence on the global stage.” The training is open to emerging and established Nigerian artists across the performing arts, including music, dance, theatre, spoken word, and multidisciplinary practices. Selected participants will gain exclusive access to mentorship, market intelligence, and networking opportunities with industry professionals across Africa and beyond. The MASA Performing Arts Festival and Conference, scheduled for April 2026 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, is renowned for convening artists, cultural managers, festival curators, and policymakers from across the world. The festival offers unmatched opportunities for artists to tour, collaborate, and expand their reach in international cultural circuits. Do you know a Nigerian artist who could benefit from this opportunity? Encourage them to apply and take part in this unique programme.
Partner Project Showcase: Ckrowd Virtual Seminar Series
The African music industry is growing fast, but the talent pipeline from local status to global relevance is still stifled. African music industry professionals suffer from skill gaps and lack of access to formal training. Furthermore there is a lack of a community of fellow music industry professionals, where professionals especially those who are just starting out can go to learn about the global business of music . The Ckrowd Industry Academy Virtual Seminar Series by is a series of online conversations, curated by Ckrowd (Nigeria) on current issues in the African music industry in order to provide music industry professionals in Africa like DJs, Lawyers, Brand Designers, Social Media Managers, Music Producers, journalists etc. with information that they need to level up in the global music business. The seminar series which started earlier in the year hopes to be an incubator for learning for technical, creative, business and hybrid professionals across the continent, where knowledge can be shared on everything from legal rights in African music to music journalism, to digital marketing, sound engineering, and other things that African music industry professionals need to know to position themselves to become global talents . At Arts Connect Africa, we endorse the Ckrowd seminar series, and we value Ckrowd’s investment into education of African music industry professionals , which fits into our own goal of education for the African creative industry professionals. Visit Ckrowd’s YouTube Channel @CkrowdAfrica to get access to the library of videos.
MASA 2026 Pre-Event Training Now Open for Registration
The registration link for our pre-event training for Nigerian creatives who wish to participate in the MASA Festival 2026 in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire is now live. The training will be happening daily from July 14th- to July 18th in Ibadan, Nigeria, and is open to Performing Artists in the four fields of Dance, Theatre, Music, and Storytelling/Poetry/Spoken word. If you are in any of the mentioned fields and you will be available physically for the five days, register HERE. Spaces for the training are limited and it will be on a first come first served basis, so you are advised to register as quickly as possible. The training is sponsored by the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria, and The Spanish Corporation Office in collaboration with MASA,Abidjan, Arts Connect Africa and Ckrowd. It is also supported by Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) Oyo State Chapter, Emmylyskillz Productions, Stage Alive, and Aditu Ede Community.
This June at Arts Connect Africa
Hello, welcome to June 2025. We want to wish you a great month. At ACA, we have a busy month ahead of us because June is the start of the festival circuit across Africa. Thus we are highlighting and celebrating a number of festivals , cultural showcases and impact makers across the continent. We also have a preparing for a training program coming up next month. Here is a roundup of what we have for you this month. We are Partnering with Spanish Embassy and Ckrowd to Train Performance Artists This month we are partnering with the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria, The Spanish Corporation Office and Ckrowd to organize a pre-event training for Nigerian creatives who wish to participate in the MASA Festival 2026 in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire. The training will be happening from July 14th- to July 18th in Ibadan, Nigeria, and is open to Performing Artists in the field of dance, theatre, music, and storytelling/poetry/spoken word. If you are a performing artist in any of these disciplines, watch out for the registration form, coming this month, either from Ckrowd’s social media pages ckrowdafrica ( on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram) or on the our social media pages, @officialaca1 (Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram) Our Lineup of African festivals Coming up this June The Gnaoua and World Music Festival takes place in Essaouira, Morrocco from the 19th to the 21st of June 2025. The Festival brings together famous and emerging artists alike in a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere. Between unprecedented fusions and prestigious collaborations, the maâlems’ hypnotic rhythms encounter sounds from other places – jazz, blues, rock, reggae, traditional music – to create unique and magical moments. Legends like Pat Metheny, Marcus Miller, Joe Zawinul, or Maceo Parker have shared the stage with Gnaouas, pushing the limits of secular music toward a truly universal dimension. From June 20th to 28th we have the Mawazine Festival in Rabat, Morroco. Mawazine is one of several cultural events organized to contribute to Morocco’s international image and promote its cultural diplomacy efforts. 2025 will be the 20th edition and it is expected to attract nearly 3 million people from around the world Mawazine aims to highlight the Kingdom’s values by promoting messages of tolerance, openness, respect, and dialogue. In addition to featuring a diverse array of international and local artists, the festival is intended to position Rabat as a city open to global cultural exchange. The National Arts Festival will take place from June 26th-July 6th 2025 The National Arts Festival, which started in 1974 (which makes it one of the longest running Arts festivals in Africa)an annual multi-disciplinary arts festival place in the Eastern Cape town of Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), South Africa. The NAFis defined by the idea that the arts help us understand our world, connect within it, find meaning and drive transformation. Follow Us For News Features and Showcases from Across the Continent Throughout the month our members are going to be featuring in media across Africa and beyond as authorities on various issues in the African cultural and creative industry. Their thoughts are going to focus on the areas of education, cultural exchange, and economic impact. Watch this space for op-eds, magazine features, and guest features on audio and visual media . you can also watch out for our celebration of our members and other Africa impact makers who are promoting the creative and cultural values of Africa from all over the continent in our Profiles Follow our campaign showcasing the cultural values of various cultures from all over the continent. Enjoy our features on music, dress and other vibrant ways in which we showcase Africa on our various platforms. Follow us @officialaca1 on Instagram, Facebook and X, and at @Arts Connect Africa on LinkedIn.
Events: The Africa Rising Music Conference (South Africa)
The Africa Rising Music Conference (ARMC) is Johannesburg and one of South Africa’s premier platform dedicated to female leadership and building connections between artists and executives. Scheduled for its fifth edition on May 22nd and 23rd, 2025, ARMC aims to bridge the gap between African talent and the international music scene, offering valuable insights for stakeholders eager to navigate the rapidly growing African market. Founded by Sarah Jane Nicholson, Managing Director of Paradise Worldwide Africa in 2018, ARMC’s key objectives include amplifying underrepresented voices, building bridges, facilitating knowledge exchange, and driving innovation. The conference provides a dynamic environment for discovering new talent, catalyzing meaningful change, and creating unparalleled opportunities for growth and collaboration. Whether you’re an artist, brand, or executive, ARMC offers a platform to understand and influence the future of music, both in Africa and globally. The conference features ARMC by Day, comprising panels, workshops, and networking sessions, alongside ARMC by Night, which showcases performances by local and international artists. For its 5th iteration this year, the conference will take place at Constitution Hill — a venue emblematic of South Africa’s journey to democracy. Rethabile Khumalo, South African Singer/Songwriter and Director at WINNKAY MUSIC RECORDS & MANAGEMENT; Msaki, South African composer, singer, and songwriter; Sibu Mabena, Founder of Duma Collective; South African Hip-Hop icon Jack Parow, Charlotte Bwana, Vice President of Marketing Africa & MENA at Audiomack; Nick DeCosemo, Global Editorial Director at Wasted Talent – Mixmag; Phatstoki, Co-Founder of P_ssy Party; Nickita Maesela City Manager Johannesburg at Resident Advisor; Jonathan Bandli, Creative Director at Bad Weather Productions, an innovator in visual storytelling; Rehana Pillay, General Manager at Mint Digital Services; Alan Freeman, Director at Freeman House Recovery, and many more music and business professionals will be sharing their insights at ARMC 2025. You can find the full lineup of speakers here. At Arts Connect Africa, we celebrate and support the Africa Rising Music Conference, and its founder Sarah Jane Nicholson, not just because its goals align with our focus areas of education, cultural exchange, and economic impact in Africa, but also because of the platform it gives to to female music business leaders and female artistes and creative industry professionals. To learn more about the ARMC and follow the 2025 event, Visit the official event website. You can also get instant updates on the Africa Rising Music Conference 2025 social media platforms YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
#31DaysofAfrica: Amplifying the Creative and Cultural Pulse of a Continent
May is Africa Month. The Month has been set apart every year to commemorate the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) now the African Union (AU), on the 25th of May, 1963. Africa Month is a time to reflect on, celebrate, and amplify the rich tapestry of cultures, histories, and innovations across the African continent. At Arts Connect Africa, we are proud to launch a month-long campaign dedicated to showcasing the brilliance and resilience of the African creative and cultural industry. From Dakar to Durban, Lagos to Lusaka, Rabat to Nairobi to the creative spirit of Africa pulses through its music, film, fashion, literature, visual arts, and technology. This sector not only preserves our heritage and tells our stories, but also drives economic growth, job creation, and social innovation across the continent and the diaspora. Africa’s cultural and creative industries are projected to generate $20 billion in revenue annually and create over 20 million jobs — a clear signal that this is more than art; it’s enterprise and empowerment. Throughout this month we will be sharing interesting facts about Africa and its creative and cultural economy on our social media platforms. our focus for the campaign will be on Join us throughout the month of May as we connect, inspire, and build a stronger creative ecosystem for Africa and by Africa. Follow the conversation on our platforms and share your voice using #31daysofAfrica. Follow our #31daysofAfrica campaign on our accounts, @officialaca1 on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn and together, we can ensure that African creativity is not just seen, but valued, respected, and globally celebrated.
Coming Soon: The Music Festival Partnership Project for Artists Across Africa
At Arts Connect Africa, one of the projects we are looking at as part of growing our network of African music professionals and helping to deliver value in the African music industry is connecting artists with prime opportunities to showcase their talent across the vibrant music festival circuit in Africa. Thus in 2025, we will be launching a Music Festival Partnership Project designed to help artist managers and record labels in Africa and elsewhere secure performance slots for their artists at multiple music festivals within the continent annually. We believe that we can leverage our extensive network of festival organizers, industry connections, and strategic planning expertise to help artists gain maximum exposure, increase their fan base, and build momentum for their careers across African markets. The service we are working on will give the users (i.e., artists, artist managers, record label owners, etc.) access to over 30 music festivals across all the regions of Africa for an annual subscription. We believe that the service can give users increased visibility, i.e., the artists gain a platform to perform at renowned festivals, boosting their exposure to international audiences, industry stakeholders, and potential collaborators. This will help to enhance their revenue streams from touring opportunities and live performance opportunities, which will be significant revenue sources for them. We believe that the service can help the artists attract sponsorship deals and endorsements. Furthermore, we believe that the service can help build partnerships between emerging African artists and established artists performing at the same events. Emerging artists get a chance to gain traction early in their careers, while experienced artists get the opportunity to expose their music to new audiences. Beyond the immediate earning opportunities We believe that our Music Festival Partnership Project can help African artists in terms of helping them refine their stagecraft and performance skills by participating in high-profile festivals as well as giving them access to interact with global professionals, including producers, managers, and booking agents, creating opportunities for career advancement. At national and continental levels, we believe that our project can help build collaborations between African and international artists, enriching the musical landscape with innovative sounds and styles. It can also help build cultural diplomacy by enhancing mutual understanding and strengthening cultural ties globally. From an economic perspective, we believe that our service can help strengthen collaborations between African countries. These collaborations can lead to a more unified African music market, broadening the reach of local music within the continent. As well as providing the national and regional music industries the kind of visibility at major festivals that attract international investment into African music ventures. By creating a robust pipeline for African artists to participate in major music festivals, such partnerships accelerate the growth of the industry and solidify Africa’s position as a dynamic hub for music and creativity. The project is almost at the completion stage, and the subscription model, the platform that the service will be showcased on, and other details about the project will be revealed on all our platforms soon. Continue to follow us to get updates on this game-changing project.
Highlights from the 3rd Annual ACA Congress in Rabat, Morocco
Our 3rd Annual Congress in Rabat, Morocco, held during the Visa For Music Festival, was a great time for members of the network to meet again. For many of the members who came, it was their first time at an ACA event, so they had plenty of opportunities to catch up with fellow members that they had not met before, and there were plenty of opportunities for deals and collaborative projects to be struck. However, beyond all the individual networking, the congress itself was fruitful for all participants, and as a network, the ACA made some firm decisions on what to focus on going into 2025. Moving forward, the network will focus on three key areas. Education, cultural exchange projects, and a membership drive. Education Education and professionalism have been major issues for the African creative industry professionals , and one that the ACA has decided to focus on. It was decided that Board member Walter Wanyanya (Zimbabwe) would lead our initiatives around the learning and education of African creative industry professionals by bringing ideas as well as identifying partners and projects that can help us to achieve our aim of educating a new generation of music professionals in Africa. Culture Exchange Projects The ACA has identified to create an inclusive network of creative industry professionals on the continent, there needs to be culture exchange projects with the bodies within and outside the continent. The ACA hopes to be a key player in terms of cultural exchanges on the African continent and has already identified a number of organizations and institutions that are interested in cultural exchange projects within and outside the continent. Member Salym Fayad (South Africa), by virtue of his work as a cultural promoter, which has allowed him to be rooted in two continents, will lead ACA’s efforts around sustainable cultural exchanges. Membership It was noted that while it is commendable that the current membership of the ACA shows the diversity of the African creative industry, the ACA needs to open its doors wider to industry professionals from all corners of the continent, especially from parts of Africa that are often underrepresented in conversations around the creative industry on the continent. Thus, it was decided that board member Kayode Adebayo (Nigeria) should lead the network’s membership drive. His duties will include determining an appropriate membership structure for the network; creating membership criteria that would attract new members and also ensure that existing members derive valuable benefits from their membership; and identifying new members who might be willing to join the network in the near future. Adebayo was determined to be qualified for this role by virtue of being in charge of the ACA secretariat, his work in creating and managing the network’s membership platform, and how his tech startup, Ckrowd, is enhancing the discoverability of music professionals in Africa. Finance and Investment The congress determined that the network would need finance to carry out its set projects, and thus there needs to be a finance committee to support planned projects for 2025. Faisal Kiwewa (Uganda) was appointed to head the finance committee to lead the ACA’s investment drive. Faisal would be required to work with other committee heads to draft budgets for ACA programs; to identify sources of investment and funding for the network; and to identify individual and institutional partners who are willing to support the network with grants and funding. We congratulate the people who have been appointed to lead various initiatives, and we are excited about what is to come from our focus areas in 2025. We are looking forward to continuing to bring you news of the various initiatives and projects that are going to come from these three focus areas. Arts Connect Africa is still committed to building a creative industry that will have a cultural and economic impact on the African continent.
PROPOSED AGENDA FOR ACA RABAT MEETING
Arts Connect Africa 3rd Annual Meeting focus: Bring together creative minds to develop innovative solutions to global issues by advocating arts as means of achieving sustainable growth and infrastructure across the African continent. Workflow proposal: The ACA board has identified a series of topics that are potentially of interest for ACA members as means of increasing collaborations among us, generating business opportunities and positively impacting our communities. We propose to address each topic divided into sessions to listen to previous or ongoing experiences and leave room for debate and exchange of ideas. We propose to develop our agenda in 3 consecutive days, to have room for keeping the conversation flowing during the whole Visa For Music events. We will encourage members to select a project or a partner they will like to collaborate with by the end of the conference. This of course will not be mandatory, but it will help us start building the community we envision for the ACA network. Topics to discuss: The goals for the meeting will be: AGENDA IN DETAIL: DAY 1: Wednesday Nov 20 DAY 2: Thursday Nov 21 Pergola Room in the Pietri Hotel 10-5pm Introducing ACA and 3rd Annual Meeting (10 minutes). Initial round of -speed- introductions (50 minutes) Participants will be asked to introduce themselves in 2 minutes, highlighting: Sessions: After initial introductions, we would like to start the action! The rest of the day we will be discussing each topic for about an hour with the following structure: Session 1: Capacity building: think global, act local. LUNCH: food will be served at the Petri Hotel Restaurant for ACA participants. Session 2: foster international cultural exchanges (South-North, South-South) Session 3: preservation of cultural heritage. DAY 3: Friday Nov 22 12 – 13:30 hrs: Inclusion and Diversity in the Music Industry: Women’s Central Role in Empowerment and Community Development Lunch together: if you are up to, we would like to have lunch Open session (60 minutes) for anyone attending VFM 3 to 4 pm at the Pergola Room in Pietri Hotel ACA Session: 4 to 5 pm. Technology adoption: from platforms and media to artificial intelligence. DAY 4: Saturday Nov 23 (3 to 5 pm) Conclusions and Summary of the ACA meeting (2 hrs) Share your feedback, express ideas and next steps for the ACA network. In this last afternoon session, participants will: Wrap up ideas of previous discussions and determine the areas we want to focus on to build ACA and CCLA. Establish the working committees: finance and development, membership, education, cultural exchange.
What To Expect From Us This November
Welcome to November. This month is going to be a busy month for us at Arts Connect Africa. our main focus will be the Visa For Music Festival (VFM), Rabat, Morocco which starts on the 20th and ends on the23rd of November. The Visa for Music festival is entering its 11th year this year and it will feature music concerts with performances from upcoming and popular Artistes from 75 countries in Europe, Africa and the middle East as well over 76 000 Live spectators, over 1.5 M Digital spectators and a total youth population of over 70% of the attendees.The event will also feature the Market, which will feature professionals from the music and culture sector from 5 continents who will connect with one another via conferences, speed meetings, masterclasses, and workshops. Our network members are going to be participating in the VFM music concerts and the market. and are going to be offering insights on the music business industries in their various regions. The VISA For Music festival will feature ACA sister professional networks such as the Cultural Connexxions Latino America (CCLA), European Jazz Network (EJN) and other networks across the world. It is expected that partnership projects will be at the centre of ACA’s interactions with these networks However, the highlight of VFM will be our annual congress, which will serve as the flagship meeting in our year. We have a lot of things to discuss this year, and one of the priority discussions will be the official inauguration of various committees which will drive the agenda for the network. The congress will also feature discussion projects for the new committees to work on to help achieve the network’s objectives. We will continue to bring you updates on our congress and other meetings, as we count down to this momentous conference. To find out more about the Visa For Music, Rabat, 2024 visit the official VFM website Our new web application a dynamic new platform where African music business leaders can connect, collaborate, and help shape the future of the African music industry, is online. Click here to start your membership journey.