By Charles Mgbolu
2023 has no doubt been an eventful year for the African entertainment industry, with jaw-dropping records broken, vibrant arts and cultural festivals celebrated, and international awards snatched almost with ease.
The year also had its lows, with the shocking deaths of famous celebrities and a famous music band going on hiatus.
As the curtains for the year are drawn, TRT Afrika presents a compilation of some of the biggest entertainment and lifestyle events that marked 2023.
World record breakers
A wrap of 2023 will be unforgivably inconclusive without highlighting the record-breaking cook-a-ton from Nigerian Chef Hilda Baci, who broke the record for longest cooking time by an individual after cooking for 93 hours, according to the Guinness World Record GWR.
Her record-breaking confirmation, however, triggered a record-breaking rush across the West African nation.
Nigerian gospel singer Oluwatobi Kufejione sang for 200 hours, while Joy Chukwudi, a masseuse, collapsed in her effort to massage clients for 75 hours.
Another man, Tembu Ebere, attempted to weep non-stop for a week, leading to temporary blindness, while the most recent record seeker Enitan landed in the hospital after washing clothes for 50 hours.
These record attempts were not confirmed by GWR, as it cited safety risks in most of the cases as reasons for not validating the record attempts.
However, others, such as the longest applause in Uganda, where 926 people clapped for over three hours; Nigeria’s Tonye Solomon, who climbed 150 steps with a ball balanced on his head; and Nigerian weaver Helen Williams, who created the world’s longest handmade wig, are some other African records confirmed by GWR.
Movie awards and festivals
The ninth edition of Africa’s most prominent and colourful film awards ceremony, the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), took place on May 20 in Lagos, Nigeria, with talented filmmakers from East, West, and Southern Africa picking up prestigious awards in different categories.
Different film festivals, such as the Africa Film Festival and the Marrakech International Film Festival, also celebrated African and Middle Eastern film makers.
The Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) calculates that African movies grew remarkably in 2023, with the industry recording an annual growth rate of 12.76%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$112.90 million by 2027.
UNESCO estimates the industry created over 20 million jobs in 2023 and contributed US$ 20 billion to the continent’s combined GDP.
Music Awards
Like movies, music from African stars was one of the biggest exports from the continent in 2023.
As of October 2023, streaming giant Spotify reported over 15 billion streams (and counting) on its platform, with strong commendation to the Afrobeats genre of West Africa for making a huge impact in music spaces across the globe as its stars won music awards in very competitive categories.
Nigeria’s Burna Boy won the BET Best International Act for the 4th time, while Rema won a historic MTV Afrobeats Award at the MTV Music Video Awards for his single ‘Calm Down’ with American singer Selena Gomez in September.
Rema also broke a record by remaining at the top of the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs chart for a full year.
Tanzanian singing sensation Diamond Platnumz also had a strong moment in the spotlight when he outshined Nigerian music heavyweights Burna Boy and Asake to emerge as 'Best African Act' at the MTV Europe Music Awards in November.
Ghanaian musician Black Sherif also won the Best International Flow award at the 2023 BET Awards.
Fashion and Arts
Africa’s fashion industry also grew remarkably in 2023, with UNESCO reporting the sector valued at over $15 billion worth of exports annually, with the potential to triple by the next decade.
Talented African designers also had opportunities to showcase at various prestigious international events, including the Paris, London, and Africa fashion weeks.
Deaths
The year took a sad twist early on with the shocking murder of one of South Africa’s leading rap artists, Kiernan Jarryd Forbe, popularly known as AKA, on February 10.
The 35-year-old rapper was shot dead along with a friend, Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane, as they walked towards their car from a restaurant in Durban.
Five suspects had been arrested in connection with their murder.
In March, South African rapper Costa Titch, 28, collapsed onstage during a performance at a music festival.
His family, in a statement, said he died shortly after that incident.
Then in September, Nigerian music fans were also thrown into mourning with the shocking death of 27-year-old fast-rising singer Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, known by his stage name Mohbad.
The circumstances surrounding his death were controversial, leading to protests and the Nigerian police launching an investigation and making arrests, but with no convictions yet.
Other viral news
Triplet Ghetto Kids from Uganda danced again to global stardom by making it to the finals of the British Got Talent show in June.
The kids are not first timers in the spotlight, as their dance promo for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar already made them global internet sensations.
Although they did not win the competition, they were commended for their breathtaking dance choreography and powerful backstory from slum to stardom.
In May, Kenyan pop band Souti Sol singers announced they were going on hiatus after performing together for 18 years and would be commencing a series of farewell concerts that would terminate by the end of the year.
Nigerian rising singer Oladips faked his death in November on social media for unexplained reasons. There were angry reactions from fans who had been mourning his death when he surfaced online one week later to say he was alive.
