FOLLOWERS: FROM PASSIVE TO ACTIVE—WHY THIS TOPIC?

In today’s music ecosystem, which spans much of the value chain, “followers” have become a key metric for measuring creators’ visibility, brand awareness, and success. This audience of “followers” is, for the most part, composed of passive consumers, in that, faced with ever-increasing content production, they are content, most of the time, to simply “like” (follow), and show no real involvement in the economic structure of the music industry.

In this context, and even though followers represent an indicator of popularity, it is therefore necessary to transform this mass into an active force. Moving from visibility to value by creating engagement mechanisms that encourage direct support and music consumption. Today, this shift is urgent, particularly in light of the proliferation of streaming platforms. It is precisely within this framework that the 2026 edition of the Rencontres Musicales Africaines is organized, centered on the theme: “Followers: From Passive to Active.”

With an increasingly engaged youth, music can become a vehicle for civic engagement and a lever for the sustainable development of the cultural sector.

See you October 22–24, 2026.