It’s tonight! The final show that wraps us the 2016 edition of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA). Tonight is the most important for artistes, record labels, the media and even fashionistas.

At the Eko Convention Centre of Eko Hotel and Suites, thousands will gather to watch as the most deserving of all the 154 nominees across the continent receive their award plaques.

The show will begin at 4.30pm with the red carpet show which will be hosted by your favourite fashion figure, Denola Grey and he will be assisted by Denrele Edun, model Hauwa AllahBura and Cameroonian talkshow host, Pam Happi.

The main show will be hosted by South African media personality, Bonang Matheba alongside Moroccan superstar, Ahmed Soultan and Ika Jang from Congo.

So while you lay out your outfit and stuff for tonight’s event, here are five of the things we want you to look forward to at the 2016 AFRIMA:

1. It’s going to be a really long night: It’s called the ALL AFRICA MUSIC AWARDS for a reason, no one is left out. AFRIMA is all-inclusive, the 34 award categories cover all the regions in the continent and all the genres so if you’re attending just to get wowed by Kiss Daniel and Tiwa Savage, you need to reconsider. All the unfamiliar names will be there, a few will perform and maybe, you will get bored.
2. Wizkid will shine… again: Song of the Year in Africa, Artiste of the Year, Best Artiste in African Pop, Best Male Artiste (Western Africa) are some of the categories where Wizkid got nominated and he’s a strong contender in all of them. So, we expect the Starboy to pick up most of the awards, especially considering his recent victories at the MAMAs and the MOBOs weeks back.
3. Live eclectic performances: Remember the Soweto Gospel Choir from Darey’s Pray For me? They are billed to perform at tonight’s show. The legendary Femi Kuti will also be live. So, we look forward to a night like nothing we’ve ever seen. A blend of sounds, culture and verve, all from Africa.
4. The presenters: From our end here, we know how good Bonang Matheba’s hosting skills are – we remember how she brought on girl power to the MAMAs with co-hosts, Yemi Alade and Nomzamo Mbatha. We’re not sure what to expect tonight but we hope there will be great synergy between all three presenters.

And finally, more of an advice, really:

5. Pack for work: If you work on the Island, it might be wise to pack up for Monday as you prep for the show. Why? There will be an afterparty and it’s going to be loads of fun, you will have a drink or two and will be too wasted to return home. So why not get a hotel room, pray you don’t get hung over, spend the rest of your night in it and wake up close to work in the morning. You save yourself the stress. Thank us later!

Tolu

Your pop culture/entertainment go-to. Music head. Wallflower. I do not like to write. On a mission to decipher covfefe.