On Sunday December 15th, Zimbabwean afro-traditional band Ukama Band was awarded first prize in the final of Imagine Music Xperience 2024 (IMX). This all-style music competition hosted by JM International, which takes place in 8 countries, brings together young musicians from all over the world. Supported by Africalia through our partner Music Crossroads Academy in Zimbabwe, the talented members of Ukama Band stole the show on the stage of Le Botanique in Brussels.


Brimming with musical talent and endowed with an imposing stage presence, the boys of Ukama Band founded their music group last year at Churchill School in Harare. They were supported by Music Crossroads Academy, an organisation encouraging the development of music education and the music industry in the southern African region. Ukama Band’s songs, mainly sung in Shona, address questions of cultural values and norms. The band was initially selected to represent Zimbabwe at the 2023 edition of IMX, but was not able to participate at the time due to visa difficulties and lack of financial resources. In the context of Africalia’s programme in Zimbabwe, we were honoured to support the participation of these talented musicians’s participation in IMX 2024.
Being able to travel is crucial for culture professionals, yet international mobility is not always a matter of course. The need for a visa and difficulties with its issuance, lack of travel routes, and insufficient funds continue to hinder artists’ mobility, often making it near impossible to pursue professional opportunities outside of their own countries. The 2022 UNESCO publication Re-imagining mobility for artists and cultural professionalsindicates that passport-holders from the Global South can, on average, only travel to 86 countries without needing a visa. For artists travelling with a passport from the Global North, this average is twice as high.
Africalia supports its partners in exercising their freedom of movement, both through financial support and through policy advocacy efforts aimed at facilitating transnational mobility. Article 14 of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions states that States Parties should facilitate the mobility, to the extent possible, of artists from the developing world. As a civil society organisation recognised by the 2005 Convention, we aim to uphold this principle. Supporting artists from the Global South to travel freely, so that they can pursue creative opportunities abroad and take part in cultural life, is key to fostering international cultural development.
Ukama Band’s win in Brussels reminds us that African artists don’t lack talent—they lack opportunities.

