MTV, Bharti Airtel Partners on MAMA

MTV Networks Africa (MTVNA) and Bharti Airtel have reached an agreement to hold the 2010 MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) in Lagos.  
MTVNA’s jubilant celebration of contemporary African music and creativity will be held at the Eko Expo Hall, Lagos on 11 December 2010, focusing the spotlight on Africa’s most outstanding musicians, from the heart of one of the continent’s most vibrant cities.
The 2010 MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel will take the form of a stunning live music event and global television spectacular, featuring performances from contemporary African and international music giants and hosted by a major music celebrity. Artists from around the continent will battle to win a coveted MAMA trophy in one of twelve award categories including: Best Male, Best Female, Best Video, Best Group, Artist of the Year, Best Lusophone Act, Best Anglophone Act, Best Francophone Act, Song of the Year, Brand: New Act, Best International Act and MAMA Legend. 
Airtel comes on board as the headline sponsor of the MTV Africa Music Awards 2010, signaling the telco’s profound commitment to African music and youth culture following its purchase of Zain Africa’s business operations earlier this year.
The sponsorship was announced by Andre Beyers, chief marketing officer, Airtel Africa and Alex Okosi, senior Vice President and managing director, MTV Networks Africa.
Sponsorship of the MAMA will provide Airtel with unique brand exposure across multiple platforms including live event activations across the continent. 
Beyers said: “Airtel is proud to be at the forefront in nurturing talent in Africa and connecting the passions of millions of youth across the continent through music. Our support for the MAMA awards is founded on our commitment to empower the youth through initiatives that will help Africa to identify and celebrate talent.”
A key component of the partnership will be the development of exclusive mobile and data content for the Airtel subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa including wallpapers and various downloads. The campaign will also be fully activated in the digital space with a bespoke mobi-site (mtvmama.mobi) and a dynamic website (www.mama.mtvbase.com). Multiple SMS voting and interactive mechanics will be integrated into the campaign, to provide Airtel customers with unique access to the MAMA initiative.
Conceived in 2008 as the ultimate celebration of African contemporary music talent, the MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel provides a major promotional platform for the African music industry, championing, supporting and empowering African talent by broadcasting their music around the world via MTV’s global multimedia network. 
The awards celebrate contemporary African and international genres loved by the youth and young adults across sub-Saharan Africa including Hip Hop, Hip Life, R&B, Afro Pop, Afro House, Kwaito, Boomba, Bongo Flava, Coupé Décalé, Dancehall, Soul and Rock.  
The inaugural MAMA was held at the Velodrome, Abuja in 2008, while October 2009 saw the awards move to Nairobi, Kenya, with performances from 2Face (Nigeria), Amani (Kenya), A.Y. (Tanzania), Blu3 (Uganda), Brickz (South Africa), Da LES (South Africa), D’Banj (Nigeria), Fally Ipupa (DRC), HHP (South Africa), Lizha James (Mozambique), M.I. (Nigeria), Mo’ Hits Allstars (Nigeria), Nameless (Kenya), Pype (Nigeria), Samini (Ghana), STL (Kenya), Lira (South Africa), Wahu (Kenya) and Zebra & Giraffe (South Africa), alongside international stars Wyclef Jean and Akon.