With the hype from organisers and array of celebrities gathered in South Africa, the 2016 MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) was the most highly anticipated event on the continent on Saturday.
We, therefore, take a look at some of the highlights (good and bad) of the ceremony that kept Africa awake till late into the night.
- Heroic Trio? Bonang Matheba, Yemi Alade and Nomzama Mbatha
With less than 24 hours to fill the spot of who will host the event after South African comedian, Trevor Noah, pulled out, MTV Africa finally chose TV/radio personality, Bonang Matheba, to fill in the gap.
Later, they announce that Nigerian pop singer, Yemi Alade, and actress/model, Nomzama Mbatha, would join Bonang as co-hosts of the event. The ladies really tried their best and gave it their all but many viewers commented that the show was drab and uninteresting.
- Yemi Alade shades Buhari
One week after knocking President Muhammadu Buhari on Instagram over his “my wife belongs to the kitchen” gaffe, Nigerian singer, Yemi Alade, took her crusade further during her acceptance speech as best female.
“Women, don’t forget that we are not only good in the kitchen, living room and the other room — we are also good at anywhere we want to be,” she said.
The ‘Johnny’ searcher had said in February that the situation in the country “is not the change I expected”.
- Wizkid was man of the night
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly referred to as Wizkid, was the man of the man. He carted home three coveted awards – Best Male Act, Artiste of the year and Best Collaboration for his featured track with South Africa’s DJ Maphorisa and DJ Buckz.
Wizkid’s presence was highly felt, from his ridiculous orange outfit, to his live performance with the Soweto Choir group, many insisted he was the one to watch.
- Nasty C is the Future
Nsikayesizwe David Ngcobo, better known as Nasty C, was one of most celebrated artistes on the MAMA stage. When American artiste, Future, called him on stage to perform, the crowd went wild. And then, he further went on to cement his name in the heart of the audience when he gave an even better performance that the headlining Future.
The 19-year-old did not win any award but he was definitely a winner for being compared to Future.
- Future is the present
As he came on stage the first time, he left the audience wanting more. His first performance was not what they had been expecting. However, after Nasty C’s performance, the father-of-one became obviously fired up.
An over-zealous fan even rushed on stage to give him a hug before he was bounced away by security.
All in all, the MAMA was a memorable event for many. While some praise the organisers of the show, others felt they should’ve done more with it.
