MTV Africa Music Awards come to SA

The MTV Africa Music Awards are coming to South Africa for the first time, since they launched in 2008. The ceremony, known as the MAMAs will be held on 7 June in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal this year after broadcasting live from Nigeria in 2013. The inaugural awards ceremony was held in Abuja back in 2008 when the channel announced the event. Nigeria and celebrate  contemporary African and international genres including hip hop, hip life, R&B, afro pop, afro house, kwaito, boomba, bongo flava, coupé décalé, dancehall, soul and rock. The following year, the ceremony was moved to Nairobi, Kenya, with performances from musicians including 2Face (Nigeria), Brickz (South Africa),
Da LES (South Africa), D’Banj (Nigeria), Fally Ipupa (DRC), HHP (South Africa), and Lizha James (Mozambique), and even Wyclef Jean and Akon. In 2010 it was to Nigeria with international stars like Eve, Rick Ross and T-Pain making appearances. The awards ceremony was halted for three years after that. Alex Okosi, the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa Alex Okosi attributed the three-year gap between the last time the awards show was staged and this year to, among several reasons, the "economic downturn". The announcement event was attended by musicians including DJ Tira, Mi Casa, Nigeria's Flavour, Dj Black Coffee, Da. Les, and The Arrows. Nominees will be announced on 16 April, while presenters and performers are yet to be revealed.