By Anozie Egole
AHEAD of this year's All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, the organizers in association with the Africa Union Commission,AUC, and the  host city, Lagos State earlier in the week released an unprecedented  line up of top African stars who will be performing at the awards night slated for Sunday, November 6, in Lagos. Femi Kuti

The artistes include AFRIMA 2016 nominees and multiple award-winning South African choral group, Soweto Choir who, according to the organizers have confirmed to attend the event billed to hold at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island.

The main awards ceremony will be preceded by the AFRIMA Music Village, a concert event at the WaterFront, Bar Beach, Victoria Island. In addition to the 22-man Soweto Gospel Choir, AFRIMA 2016, tagged AFRIMA 3.0, will host over 352 African superstars during the award's  programme of events from November 4 to November 6.

Soweto Gospel Choir is unarguably the most decorated choral group in Africa, having won multiple awards including Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album, “Blessed” and “African Spirit,” in 2007 and 2008 respectively. The 22-member choir ensembles blend elements of African gospel, Negro spirituals, Reggae and American Popular Music.

Confirming their performance at AFRIMA3.0 Awards, Executive Producer/Director Soweto Choir, Beverly Bryer, stated, “Soweto Choir is honoured to have been nominated at the AFRIMA in 2015 and to perform at the AFRIMA 2016; we look forward to returning to Lagos for this exciting event”.

Other nominees billed to perform at the awards night are the Afrobeat crown prince and four-time Grammy Award nominee, Femi Kuti (Nigeria) and Manu Dibango (Cameroon), whose song “Soul Makossa” has influenced several popular music hits, including Michael Jackson's “Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'”, as well as his re-recording of that song with Akon, the Fugees' “Cowboys”, and Rihanna's “Don't Stop the Music” and comedian Eddie Murphy in his 1982 parody song “Boogie in your butt”.