The government on Thursday issued a statement clarifying the country’s alleged plans to host the prestigious Grammy Awards.
In a statement from the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, the government revealed that while an agreement with Grammy Global Ventures (GGV) was in place, it did not entail hosting the prestigious awards.
Instead, the government and GGV signed an agreement in which the two parties committed to setting up a prestigious musical academy centre in Kenya.
“The Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports and the Grammy Global Ventures (GGV) signed an agreement on September 25, 2023, where the two parties collaborated on the establishment of the Africa Academy headquarters or a centre in Kenya,” the Ministry said in a statement.
President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi, during a past event on September 6, 2024.
PCS
According to the Ministry, countries like Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa already have an MoU for consideration by GGV, which is an international arm of the company that organises and presents the prestigious Grammy Awards.
The government further revealed that having an African Academy or centre in Kenya would offer local artists a brilliant platform to further their craft.
“By hosting the Africa Academy or centre in Kenya, our music creators stand to benefit from the recording academy’s technological resources, brands, networks and expertise to create original music content that will showcase our cultural heritage to a broader audience,” the statement went on.
Dig deeper: On Monday, December 9, President Ruto courted controversy after suggesting the government has already paid Ksh500 million in its bid to host the Grammys in 2027.
“The money for Grammys we already paid. We already paid KSh500 million and I’m sure the gentleman from Grammys can confirm that that is the direction we are going,” Ruto had said during a town hall meeting.
What ensued was a wave of criticism from Kenyans, who criticised the government for what they termed as misplaced priorities. Others simply concluded it was practically impossible for the country to host one of the most prestigious musical awards in the globe.
However, it has now emerged that the President was referring to plans to put Kenya on the world map by hosting the World Creative Economy Conference in 2027. If the government’s plans are successful, Kenya could unlock the creative economy on a global scale.
According to the Ministry, for the Africa Academy to be realized, at least two founding members have to pay an equal fee of USD 2,500,000 (which is roughly Ksh324 million). The funds are meant to set up and operationalize the Africa Academy headquarters, particularly in the initial stages.
The Ministry suggested that excess funds would be used by GGV to host Grammy events in either of the two founding member countries.
Notably, this is not the first time the Recording Academy popularly known as the Grammys, has talked of an expansion to Africa.
In June 2024, the academy announced intentions to conduct online training for artists to help them thrive in the creative industry.
“Through these collaborations, and in alignment with our mission, the Academy will explore several key initiatives, including fueling the music economy by collaborating with partners to develop and strengthen the creative economy in Africa and the Middle East,” read the statement in part.
An image of the Grammy Award. PHOTO/ Courtesy