Football fans across Africa are counting down hours to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt. The tournament is scheduled to kick off on Friday, and it looks like it’ll do so with a bang, as African’s top 3 most celebrated artists have been billed to perform in the opening ceremony.
According to the 2019 AFCON official Twitter handle, the artists selected to curtain raise the events include; Femi Kuti of Nigeria, Dobet Gnahoré of Ivory and Hakim of Egypt.
1. Femi Kuti
The Nigerian Afrobeat singer, Fela Kuti’s oldest son, who has four Grammy nominations to his name — will be performing the English version of the tournament’s official song.
Femi had previously performed at the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa at the Soccer City Stadium on June 11, 2010 in Johannesburg.
He’s also performed in several other top sports events like the Glo-CAF Awards.
2. Hakim
Hakim will be one of the stars singing in the opening ceremony. The star uploaded a video on his official Instagram commenting: “Wait for me on Friday in the opening ceremony of the AFCON. We will make an astounding opening celebration; the whole world will be speaking about it.”
3. Dobet Gnahoré
Gnahoré, who won her first Grammy in 2010 for Best Urban/Alternative Performance, is another renowned Afrobeat star.
The celebration will host many VIPs and high-profile diplomatic representation alongside with football officials headed by FIFA boss Gianni Infantino.
https://twitter.com/TotalAFCON2019/status/1141330045912436737
The championship’s first game, between Egypt and Zimbabwe, will kick-off at 10 pm, shortly after the opening ceremony.
Check out the song;