MTV Africa and MTV Base have announced the return of the continental flagship award show in 2021. The Iconic MTV Base celebration, MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA), which showcases the ultimate in African culture, music, and creativity, will be held in a re-imagined virtual format in partnership with Uganda, The Pearl of Africa on February 20th 2021.
The MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021 will be broadcasted on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and MTV (DStv Channel 130). The repeat show will also be aired on BET Africa, BET International and MTV channels across multiple continents as a one-hour MAMA-themed MTV World Stage feature.
The ultimate celebration of local African and international talent and achievement, MAMA 2021, in partnership with Uganda, The Pearl of Africa, recognizes and rewards musicians, trailblazers and those who are shining a light on the continent’s diverse talent and creativity by instilling positive impact on African music and youth culture over the previous year. The awards ceremony will feature vibrant performances from leading African and international artists and will also showcase some of the biggest cross-genre and cross-border collaborations.
The news was revealed today via a virtual press conference broadcast from Johannesburg and Kampala by Monde Twala and Craig Paterson, Senior Vice Presidents and General Managers at ViacomCBS Networks Africa (VCNA), The State Minister for Tourism, Godfrey Kiwanda at Ugandan Ministry of Tourism and the CEO for the Ugandan Tourism Board, Lilly Ajarova. The engaging Q&A discussion included accomplished Ugandan artist Bebe Cool, highly skilled songstress Sheebah Karungi together with talented South African rapper Nasty C.
Commented Monde Twala, Senior Vice President & General Manager, VCNA, “It is an incredible honour to announce that the seventh MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021 will be hosted by the vibrantly diverse Uganda, The Pearl of Africa for the first time on February 20th, 2021. We are excited to bring this amazing showcase to audiences across the continent and globally with an innovatively re-imagined awards show and celebration. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, content production has embraced innovation as the new gold and we are excited to take Africa to the World and showcase its immense talent and culture as we stage the biggest music awards show on the continent.”
The Honourable Godfrey Kiwanda, State Minister for Tourism Uganda commented, “It is an incredible achievement for Uganda to host the continent and International stakeholders for the MAMA Kampala 2021 for the first time. The awards are an extraordinary African cultural experience, and we understand the important role it plays in driving awareness, cross culture education and profiling the continent’s rich leisure tourism offerings on the international stage.”
“This is a wonderful opportunity for global audiences to experience Uganda’s magnificence, the profusion of brilliant life and diverse natural wildlife, and the vast scale of entertainment, events, art, culture, cuisine, history and shopping. We are also so proud to be able to highlight Uganda’s musical richness and give our talented artists the opportunity to showcase their immense talent, and the diversity of Uganda’s sounds, to music fans beyond this continent. This is indeed a momentous occasion for audiences to experience Uganda as truly “the Pearl of Africa”.”
The MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021 is brought to you by Uganda, The Pearl of Africa in an effort to promote tourism, wildlife and cultural heritage conservation for the socio-economic development and transformation of Uganda. Sustainable tourism, wildlife and cultural heritage will contribute to transforming Uganda into a modern and prosperous nation.