Accountability Music Awards 2021

Nominate an African musicians whose music calls out the vice of corruption or advocates for good governance through the fight against corruption. Nominations close on Monday, October 18, 2021. The winner will be announced on International Anti-Corruption Day 9th December. 

Music has the power to influence change, rally and inspire present and future generations to fight corruption and therefore contribute to a more sustainable development and transformation on the African continent. The growing influence of youth in the creatives’ economy is witnessed by the liberalisation and widespread adoption of governance trends that allow for freedom of expression, respect of human and people’s rights, the formation of social and economic groupings, the breaking down of the ideological barriers, as well as the expansion of new technologies which ease the flow of ideas, opinions, information and movement of cultural goods and services.

Over the years, the trend of creativity in preventing and combatting corruption has risen. Across the continent, renowned musicians, poets, comedians, cartoonists, writers, performing artists and film makers, have undertaken sensitisation campaigns on good governance across all spheres of the society to advance the narrative and cause of action against corruption. Through these efforts, best practices, experiences and progress in the fight against graft will be realized.

The Accountability Music Awards 2021 have been organized as a partnership between the African Union Board on Corruption (AUABC), an organ of the African Union, theAccountability Lab and the ONE.

The Awards present an opportunity to explore and utilize the role of the arts sector in mobilizing change and rallying more support in the fight against corruption. This is aligned with the commitment by theAfrican Union that has over the years, deepened the resolve, focus and expertise for addressing the many facets of corruption on the continent, as a prerequisite for the realization of the goals articulated in “Aspiration 3” of Africa’s development framework, Agenda 2063, which seeks an Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law. Strong institutions have often been cited as a necessary condition in the fight against corruption.

There is need to build synergy between the executive, legislative and judicial arms of government as a prerequisite to entrench good governance, transparency and accountability. Similarly, strong national and regional institutions, such as adequately empowered national anti-corruption agencies, insulated from political influence, are critical enablers in sustainably fighting graft on the continent. The African citizenry also play a key role in the fight against graft.

The designation of year 2018 as the African Anti-Corruption Year and the annual commemoration of the 11th of July as the African Anti-Corruption Day, have been among the deliberate actions by the African Union to scale up advocacy efforts and broaden partnerships towards the realization of tangibles efforts in the fight against graft. These actions have also been crucial in supporting the implementation of policy frameworks, such as the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC), adopted by the African Union in 2003.

The Accountability Music Awards 2021 are also aligned with the African Union Theme of the year 2021 that focuses on “The AU Year of the Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want”. Through the declaration of 2021 as the Year of the Arts, Culture and Heritage, the African Union (AU) recognises the potential for the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) to promote unity in society, as well as hasten the process of restructuring and growing economies through the creative sector. The theme also calls to the fore the need for commitment by policy makers to create an enabling environment for investment in the development of cultural industries including allocating the necessary and adequate resources, legislative action, and implementing policies and programmes aimed at establishing a more robust and sustainable creative industries sector.

The growth and development of the Creative Economy on the continent has not only been hampered by inadequate investment, the sector has also been stifled by graft and other corrupt practices. From the colonial era, corruption in the creative industry has been witnessed as African artworks and artefacts were taken out of Africa before, during and after colonisation, to modern day graft where artists continually lose their earnings through misappropriation of royalties, diversion of funds earmarked for the sector, copyright fraud, piracy of intellectual work, and bribery and exploitation of cultures such as gift-giving to advance corruption. Corruption has also led to the flooding of the African market with harmful alien cultural products that have a destructive effect on national cultural identities.

Cases of graft have also been registered where African cultural products have been fraudulently shipped to developed countries from where the products are re-exported to Africa and traded as foreign goods. The existence of corruption in the arts, culture and heritage sector, in either small or large scale trends, calls for refocused efforts, adoption of legal, institutional and practical measures to sustainably stem graft in the industry. The existence of legislation must be fully supported with strong enforcement.

The African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, offers practical recommendations and credible response to stem the culture of impunity and corruption for a political, social, economic and cultural stability. The Convention acts as a guiding framework for the work of the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC) which is at the forefront of working with key stakeholders and CCIs players to address issues of graft in the creative sector both within and outside the continent.

The Convention, together with other existing Treaties promoting good governance, and the Common African Position on Asset Recovery sets out the recommended measures and actions required to effectively address corruption on the continent.

The Accountability Lab makes governance work for people everywhere by supporting active citizens, responsible leaders and accountable institutions. We are reimagining how to build accountability to support a world in which resources are used wisely, decisions benefit everyone fairly, and people lead secure lives.

ONE is a global movement campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030, so that everyone, everywhere can lead a life of dignity and opportunity. We believe the fight against poverty isn’t about charity, but about justice and equality

Lagos-based musician Chioma “Cill” Ogbonna was the winner of the 2019 Accountability Music Awards, beating out a competitive field of other finalists who represent the best of socially-conscious music from across the African continent.

Cill’s music incorporates elements of soul, alternative rock, folk, and country music, with splashes of ‘Africanness’. She abandoned her legal career in 2016 to pursue her love of music. Her song “All You’ve Got” talks about social and political reform in Nigeria and encourages citizens to take an active role in pushing for change.

• African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption
• Governance Treaties
• Assembly Special Declaration on Illicit Financial Flows
• 2018 as the African Anti-Corruption Year
• Nouakchott Declaration on the African Anti-Corruption Year
• The draft Common African Position on Asset Recovery