- event type:WOMEX 26 Conference Session
- date:23 Oct 2026
- time:11:00 - 12:00
- city/area:Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
- venue:Conference Room 4
- country:Spain
- event posted by:Piranha Arts
Links
Chaired by
Andre Le Roux (South Africa), IKS Cultural Consulting
With
Aisha Iyanuoluwa Fancy (Nigeria), Ejoya/ Elite Collectives;
Augusto Veiga (Portugal/Cape Verde), A.V Produções;
Teshome Wondimu (Ethiopia/Sweden), Selam
Africa holds roughly 18% of the global population while capturing just 0.3% of global recorded music value. Why is Africa's cultural influence still so poorly monetised?
The answer may lie beyond streaming. Live music, touring and cross-border artist mobility are expanding, creating income streams recorded music alone cannot provide — even as fragmented markets, visa barriers and weak infrastructure hold artists back. Meanwhile, modernising royalty systems, cleaner copyright metadata and mobile-money payments could help more of this value stay on the continent.
This panel asks what it will take to move from cultural influence to economic power — and from local success to genuine continental circulation.