AFCON 2017 - Akon, Davido, Flavour and Diamond Platnumz to rock opening ceremony

Africa is known for its rich talents in music and football and it’s just about another of the rare moments where both come together to thrill a packed 40-000 capacity stadium and the millions of eyeballs from television sets across the world.

It is the opening ceremony of the Africa Cup of Nations 2017 – the 31st edition of the biennial football tournament drawing 368 footballers from 16 participating countries on the continent together to a battle for the coveted trophy and $4million winner’s prize.

The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off this Saturday January 14 in Gabon and will span through to February 5 when the curtains will be drawn down. It begins at the Stade l’Amitie and ends same venue with the grand finale in the Gabon capital.

As part of the traditional opening ceremony activities, the Local Organising Committee has lined up four top African musicians – Akon, Nigeria’s afro-pop artiste Davido, his compatriot and high-life crooner Flavour Nabania and Tanzanian Bongo star, Diamond Platnumz to shake the grounds before the field hostilities officially kick-start.

On Friday, all the artistes took turns at the stadium to rehearse for what is expected to be an another display of the rich African culture at the opening ceremony.

The 2017 Afcon opens with hosts Gabon battling first-timers Guinea-Bissau at 1600GMT and a clash between Burkina Faso and Cameroon three hours later.