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Showbiz Correspondent
The 2021 MTV Africa Music Awards ceremony which was scheduled to be held in the Ugandan capital of Kampala has been postponed.
The awards which are intended to showcase creativity and talent of African artistes where a local rapper, Asaph is nominated, were due to take place on February 20.
“MTV Base is postponing the 2021 MTV Africa Music Awards. We will keep fans updated as we have more news,” MTV Base Africa tweeted without divulging why the event had been postponed.
But according to a report by The Citizen, Uganda Tourism Board chief executive officer Lilly Ajarova said the postponement was due to Internet “issues” and the coronavirus pandemic.
“There was a discussion about the postponement of the event. We still have issues with the Internet yet the event is supposed to be virtual. There was an issue of coronavirus,” Ajarova was quoted saying.
Uganda blocked social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and later shut down the Internet on allegations that communications during the general election in that country last month would endanger security.
Internet has since been restored in the country, but social media platforms remain closed.
The Kampala edition was set to be the first-ever live-streamed virtual MTV Africa Awards due to complications arising from the coronavirus pandemic. It was also supposed to be the first time that the awards were held in Uganda.
Asaph who was hoping to raise the country’s flag high and bag the Listener’s Choice Award through a public vote will have to wait a little bit longer as the event has been postponed indefinitely.
However, due to this postponement, fans of the artiste and general Zimbabweans who have been rallying behind him may just have more time to vote due to this postponement.
It however remains to be seen if the voting platforms will still be closed this week or if voting will be extended.
Commenting on this latest development, Asaph simply urged fans and Zimbabweans to keep on voting for him as he is hoping to bring the international trophy home.
The Mamas which were first held in 2008 were last held in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2016. The other time the awards were held in East Africa was in 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Online Reporter