As the countdown to the 31st South African Music Awards (SAMA 31) ramps up, anticipation is mounting for the coveted Rest of Africa Award, which honours outstanding non-South African artists whose work has resonated across the continent. This year’s nominees represent Afropop’s finest voices: Ayra Starr (The Year I Turned 21), Bensoul (The Party & After Party), Wizkid (Morayo), Tems (Born in the Wild), and Fireboy DML (Adedamola) (Music In Africa, News Ghana).

SAMA’s Rest of Africa Award serves as a bridge, celebrating music that transcends borders and speaks to a shared African soundscape. The inclusion of such luminaries underscores the Awards’ growing embrace of Africa’s creative unity. Last year, the 2024 winner was Edgar Muzah (Zimbabwe), honoured for his album “Son of a Tribe” (Royalty Edition), a richly textured work that blends African rhythms with global influences. Muzah’s triumph in this category reaffirmed the SAMAs’ role in spotlighting Pan-
African talent beyond South Africa’s borders.

SAMA Spokesperson Unati Gwija remarked on the 2024 outcome: “The win by Edgar was more than an award-it was validation that the Rest of Africa Award truly reflects the vibrancy and innovation of music from across the continent. The interest in this category is growing, and the domination by Nigerian musicians this year might just be a humdinger of things to come.”

As SAMA 31 heads toward its ceremony, television and global streaming audiences can look forward to the celebration of African artistry in full colour. The Rest of Africa holds both prestige and power-amplifying cross-border creativity and reinforcing South Africa’s place at the heart of continental music dialogue.