Building A Pan-African Music Ecosystem — Panel & Workshop

The Harvard African Creative Economies Initiative (ACE) initiative is a key program of the Harvard Center for Study of African Societies and Economies (CSASE). ACE will host an on-campus event on April 16, from 3:30-6pm. 

This panel will bring together academics, intellectual property lawyers, and music distribution executives to discuss the realities of pursuing a career in Afrobeats.  Our discussion will be centered on Professor Arewa’s policy report, Afrobeats: Global Rise, Local Realities, and the Future of African Music Economies, a landmark study which explores the remarkable growth, cultural influence, and economic potential of the Afrobeats sector, highlighting Africa’s global creative leadership and providing recommendations for ensuring that the gains of the sector’s global expansion equitably accrue to Africa’s creatives.

After the panel, students will conduct a workshop session where they will ideate on solutions to these critical issues, guided by expert panelists.