Own Africavision Song Contest 9

Own Africavision Song Contest 9, often referred to as OAfSC #9, is the 9th edition of Own Africavision Song Contest. The contest took place in Bamako, Mali, following following the country's victory in the 8th edition with the song "Ruido" by Fuel Fandango feat. Amadou & Mariam. It was the first time Mali had hosted the contest. Organized by the Own African Union of Broadcasting and host broadcaster Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision du Mali, the contest was held at the Stade du 26 Mars, and consisted of a quarter-final, two semi-finals and the final. The four live shows were hosted by Aya Nakamura and Ami Yerewolo.

A record of forty-nine countries participated in the contest. Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Western Sahara and Zambia returned to the competition. Sadly Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea, and Niger withdrew.

The winner was Lesotho with the song "Thula" performed by Daniel Baron feat. John Tsenoli & Ziniah. This was country's first victory. The podium was completed by Zimbabwe, which managed to best their best result achieved five editions ago, and Sudan. Burundi, São Tomé and Príncipe and Mauritania rounded out the top 6. Every member of the top 5 managed to achieve their best results, alongside Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea and Western Sahara, placing seventh, tenth and twenty-sixth respectively. The edition marked the first time that Western Sahara and Mozambique qualified for the final. The host nation Mali finished eighteenth.

Location
Further information on the host country: Mali

Host City
Bamako is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2020 population of 2.71 million. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country.

Bamako is the nation's administrative centre. The city proper is a cercle in its own right. Bamako's river port is located in nearby Koulikoro, along with a major regional trade and conference center. Bamako is the seventh-largest West African urban center after Lagos, Abidjan, Kano, Ibadan, Dakar, and Accra. Locally manufactured goods include textiles, processed meat, and metal goods as well as mining. Commercial fishing occurs on the Niger River.

The name Bamako (ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬‎ Bàmakɔ̌ in Bambara) comes from the Bambara word meaning "crocodile river".

Bamako was a major market town, as well as a hub for Islamic scholars, during the age of the Empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, all of which dominated the Western African political landscape from the year 300 to the 16th century.

Venue
Stade du 26 Mars is located in the southern neighborhoods of Bamako, Mali. It serves as a home ground for domestic football club Stade Malien and is the national stadium. It has a capacity of 50,000 as an all-seater stadium. Built in 2001, it is named for the date of Martyrs' Day (Mali), a national commemoration of 26 March 1991 Bamako uprising which overthrew the dictatorship of Moussa Traoré. The stadium, which is built by China Overseas Engineering Group, served as a venue for 2002 African Cup of Nations.

Semi-final Allocation Draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 29 November 2021, immediately after the results of the quarter final were determined but before the results were aired to the rest of Africa. The draw decided in which half of the respective semi-finals each country would perform, with the exact running order determined by the producers of the show at a later date. Twenty-one countries participated in each semi-final. From each semi-final, ten countries joined the host in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries participated.

The forty semi-finalists were allocated into six pots, based on their geographical place and cultural similarities. Drawing from different pots helps in reducing the chance of so-called neighbour voting and increasing suspense in the semi-finals. Each time a country was drawn from the pot, its semi-final and half of the semi-final was determined.

The six pots were the following:

Semi-final 1
Twenty countries participated in the first semi-final. Ivory Coast, Eritrea and Senegal also voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
Twenty countries participated in the second semi-final. Algeria, Mali and Morocco also voted in this semi-final.

Other countries
Eligibility for potential participation in the Own Africavision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active OAUB membership that would be able to broadcast the contest. As in every edition, an invitation to all the members has been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not.
 * The Beninese head of delegation announced they would take over the role with Comoros, a job they had the edition prior. Midway through the edition though, a new head of delegation was announced and will be with the nation starting in edition 10.
 * Due to time constraints, the host of delegation announced they would be withdrawing. A return in the next edition is likely
 * The nation withdrew following the resignation of their previous HoD. Midway through the edition though, a new head of delegation was announced and will be with the nation starting in edition 10.
 * Due to there being a quarterfinal, the host of delegation announced they would withdraw from the edition. A return in the next edition is likely
 * The nation failed to respond to the invitation given by the OAUB.
 * The nation failed to respond to the invitation given by the OAUB.
 * The one edition break the head of delegation announced last edition was unveiled to be an indefinite one, as the head of delegation resigned.