MTV Africa Music Awards 2016 (Photo: Internet)
This year’s MTV Africa Musical Awards (MAMA2016) held at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday, October 22, saw the likes of Nigeria’s musical stars Yemi Alade, Wizkid and Tecko win awards in various categories.
Wizkid (Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun) bagged three awards in three different categories at the awards.
South Africa topped the list of the countries with most number of awards with six awards from different South African artists.
The MTV Africa Music Awards (also known as the MAMAs) were established in 2008 by MTV Networks Africa (now Viacom International Media Networks Africa) to celebrate the most popular contemporary music in Africa.
The MTV Africa Music Awards was conceived and created by the SVP and MD of the MTV Networks in Africa, Alex Okosi.
Earlier, African artists had been included in the MTV Europe Music Award where MTV Base Africa viewers voted for Best African artist in the 2006 and 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards.
The first awards show was held at the Velodrome, Abuja in Nigeria on 22 November 2008 and was broadcast around the world on November 29 in conjunction with Airtel and local television channels in Africa.
The show was hosted by Trevor Nelson.
The awards were preceded by four concerts celebrating the musicians nominated for the awards.
There were concerts featuring international and local nominees, which took place in Johannesburg, South Africa on November 5, Nairobi, Kenya on November 9, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on November 13 and Lagos, Nigeria on November 15, 2008.
The Award categories included Artist of the Year, Best Alternative, Best Female, Best Group, Best Hip-Hop, Best Live Performance, Best Male, Best New Act, Best R&B, Video of the Year and the MY Video Award which allows viewers to make their own version of a music video.
Below is the list of winners at MAMA2016:
BEST FEMALE
Yemi Alade (Nigeria)
BEST MALE
Wizkid (Nigeria)
BEST GROUP
Sauti Sol (Kenya)
BEST BREAKTHROUGH ACT
Tekno (Nigeria)
BEST LIVE ACT
Cassper Nyovest (South Africa)
BEST FRANCOPHONE
Serge Beynaud (Ivory Coast)
BEST LUSOPHONE
C4 Pedro (Angola)
BEST POP / ALTERNATIVE
Shekinah & Kyle Deutsch (South Africa)
BEST HIP HOP in association with MTN
Emtee (South Africa)
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT
Drake (USA)
LEGEND AWARD
Hugh Masekela
BEST COLLABORATION in partnership with ABSOLUT
DJ Maphorisa ft Wizkid & DJ Buckz (SA/NG)
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Youssoupha (Congo) – “Niquer Ma Vie”
PRESONALITY OF THE YEAR in association with DStv
Caster Semenya (South Africa)
AFRICA RE-IMAGINED AWARD
Vivian Onano & Mary Taedzerwa
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Wizkid (Nigeria)
SONG OF THE YEAR in partnership with Google
Patoranking ft Wande Coal – “My Woman, My Everything (Nigeria)
LISTENER’S CHOICE AWARD
Jah Prayzah