SAMA 31: Rest of Africa Award Nominees Spotlight Continental Excellence 

As the countdown to the 31st South African Music Awards  (SAMA 31) ramps up, anticipation is mounting for the coveted Rest of Africa Award, which  honours outstanding non-South African artists whose work has resonated across the  continent.

This year’s nominees represent Afropop’s finest voices: Ayra Starr (The Year I Turned 21),  Bensoul (The Party & After Party), Wizkid (Morayo), Tems (Born in the Wild), and Fireboy  DML (Adedamola) (Music In Africa, News Ghana).

SAMA’s Rest of Africa Award serves as a bridge, celebrating music that transcends borders  and speaks to a shared African soundscape. The inclusion of such luminaries underscores the Awards’ growing embrace of Africa’s creative unity.

Last year, the 2024 winner was Edgar Muzah (Zimbabwe), honoured for his album Son of a  Tribe (Royalty Edition) a richly textured work blending African rhythms with global  influences. Muzah’s triumph in this category reaffirmed the SAMAs’ role in spotlighting Pan African talent beyond South Africa’s borders.

SAMA Spokesperson Unati Gwija remarked on the 2024 outcome: “The win by Edgar was  more than an award-it was validation that the Rest of Africa Award truly reflects the  vibrancy and innovation of music from across the continent. The interest in this category is  growing, and the domination by Nigerian musicians this year might just be a humdinger of  things to come.”

As SAMA 31 heads toward its ceremony, television and global streaming audiences can look  forward to the celebration of African artistry in full colour. The Rest of Africa category holds both  prestige and power-amplifying cross-border creativity and reinforcing South Africa’s place at  the heart of continental music dialogue.

“On behalf of RiSA and the SAMA office, we extend heartfelt thanks to the judges, whose  tireless listening and deliberation honour the integrity of this process. Their work ensures  that the Rest of Africa category is celebrated with the respect it deserves,” concluded Gwija.