From 21 to 23 November 2023, members of the International Music Council gathered in Rabat (Morocco) for the organisation’s 40th General Assembly, elected a new leadership and adopted an ambitious work plan for the next two years.
IMC will continue strengthen its three pillars: as a value-driven advocacy body, as a network of networks and as a project organisation. It will scale up its actions enabling a world where everyone can enjoy access to music, where they can learn, experience, create, perform, and express themselves through music, and in which artists of every kind are recognized and fairly remunerated.
Dr. Sheila Woodward (South Africa/USA) was elected President.” I am deeply honored to have been elected President of the International Music Council. The cumulative strength of this largest global network of music organisations linking 600 million associated individuals provides a powerful force motivating for the rights of all to engage in musical activity. I thank the membership for the trust placed in me as we face a time of widespread human suffering across the globe at multiple levels. Together we work towards the enrichment of the human mind and spirit through music and being a positive force for social change globally”, Dr. Woodward says.
Throughout the past four years, Dr. Woodward has served as Executive Vice-President and has been a driving force within IMC’s Executive Board, dedicating herself to advocate for the values and objectives of the IMC embedded in the Five Music Rights.
The IMC General Assembly also elected a new Executive Board composed by Emily Achieng’ Akuno (Kenya), Dorothy Conaghan (Ireland), Mamou Daffé (Mali), Ardavan Jafarian (Iran), Sanni Kahilainen (Finland), Anothai Nitibhon (Thailand), María Claudia Parias (Colombia), Federico Rinaldi (Italy/Belgium) and Roel Vanhoeck (Belgium).
Delegates of the General Assembly were able to participate to the 10th anniversary edition of Visa For Music (22-25 November), the unique event bridging Africa with the international music ecosystem to showcase the artistic creation of the continent and boost its industry through showcases, networking opportunities and conferences.
A special moment for the IMC community was the presentation of the 2023 Music Rights Award during the opening night of Visa for Music. On behalf of the winning project, Santuri Electronic Music Academy from Kenya, Sharon Onyango-Obbo received officially the Award from outgoing IMC President Alfons Karabuda and chair of the advisory panel Christine Semba.
IMC was also the co-organiser of two conferences to enrich Visa For Music’s programme. Co-produced with IMC member ECSA, the European Composers and Songwriters Alliance, the first conference looked at fixing music streaming and ensuring a viable ecosystem for music creators. The second conference highlighted challenges and experiences of representatives of marginalized music cultures, looking at particularities and questions of integration and access to the music industry.
The IMC General Assembly benefited from the support of the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication thanks to the National Music Council of Morocco. An important delegation of IMC members from sub-Saharan Africa attended the meetings and the showcase festival thanks to the assistance of Visa For Music and the Hiba Foundation.
