The MTV Africa Music Awards, which were scheduled to take place later this month, have been postponed.
In a statement sent to IOL Entertainment, a two-sentence statement said: “MTV Base is postponing the 2021 MTV Africa Music Awards. We will keep fans updated as we have more news.”
No reasons for the postponement were given. MTV Africa and MTV Base announced the return of the continental flagship award show in November last year.
The iconic MTV Base celebration, which showcases the ultimate in African culture, music, and creativity was meant to be held in what was described as “a re-imagined virtual format in partnership with Uganda, The Pearl of Africa on February 20 2021”.
This year’s edition was meant to celebrate African talent across 20 award categories, including Best Male, Best Female, Best Song, and Best Collaboration.
The contribution of artists from Portuguese and French-speaking Africa were also to be recognised in the Best Lusophone and Best Francophone categories.
Additional new categories included are the MAMA Generation Change Award, Best Fan Base, Alone Together Best Lockdown Performance and Personality of the Year.
These new categories seek to demonstrate MTV Base’s commitment to supporting the youth of Africa.
The MAMA Generation Change Award was created to recognise the inspiring, young changemakers of the continent who are tackling some of the world’s most challenging social problems.
The “Alone Together Best Lockdown Performance” was added to recognise outstanding performances that took place virtually by celebrating artists who took to streaming services to share their music and unite society during the unprecedented 2020 lockdown.