The first ever Mamas – MTV Africa Music Awards, a mega boost for African musicians – has come and gone. However, the report of the Abuja event by Associated Press (AP) leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
What’s my beef with AP?
This, the embolden text below, is:
Two Nigerian singers won top awards Saturday as MTV held its first-ever music award program for Africa, with acts from across the world’s poorest continent being nominated for prizes..
Thanks to AP for rubbing it in. It’s a no-brainner that Africa is the poorest continent in the world, but must AP – and other mainstream media – rub that fact in all the time?
The Mamas was Africa’s moment; our own time to strut our stuff and we do not need a reminder from Associated Press and other MSM on where we Africans are on the global socioeconomic scale! Must MSM reminded the world and us that we, Africans, make do with less than a dollar on day?
No we don’t!
Can see the negativity in the report as it is meant to celebrate achievement. The two dont gel. Possibly an effect of AP belonging to the media world from the poorest continent of the world. Sorry AP no prizes for you. On a serious note, this could be an oversight on the part of AP and hopefully your highlighting this would be noted by AP.
November 24, 2008 at 5:02 am
with acts from across the world’s poorest continent being nominated for prizes tells me that we are poor but look at the available resource. Are we really poor? Incredible talent out of economic mess as resource for me is a great way to brand Africa. All the beggar bowls (remember OBJ & dear Ngozi?) trips around the world has yielded the desired results. How do we turn that poor but able continent into measurable benefits? MTV will no doubt take the cream out of our efforts on this one. But the bigger picture would be for the world to remember that poor Africa has better talents than those clueless, inept & egocentric African leaders that represent Africa abroad.
November 24, 2008 at 5:03 am
I may be changing my tune a bit on this one. After reading the report on the same event by Jeremy on Niajablog, maybe AP were trying to make a statement here based on the different negative experiences of the nite which seemed to have marred the whole show.
Good question Beauty re turning African fortunes round. Am now lost for ideas as all ideas and answers I had seems to be knocked down by the actions of the powers that be in Africa (not just Nigeria). Can you help with some answers?
November 24, 2008 at 5:19 am
A critical AP account of an MTV show could be all that is required to turnaround our fortunes
. It takes people and those talents regardless of how unpolished, are all we have and in numbers. The top down leadership scale in Nigeria is a huge barrier hence our rants. A small contribution no doubt but our voices are being heard, why else would the state security service arrest a trash blogger? We must continue to publish our ideas and regardless of how naive we sound (all the Phds have yet to deliver), and pls note how the masters of the universe has killed off the banks. I found a new motto, don´t give in, never give up, die trying.
November 24, 2008 at 5:43 am
Thanks Beauty. The top down leadership scale could have been the best governance channel. Unfortunately the TOP IS DISEASED hence a failure of this modus operandi. I agree with your last sentence to the utmost. We shall find a way round this rot by not giving up. Have a nice day.
November 24, 2008 at 6:35 am
The biased reporting of the Mainstream media (MSM) is not limited to AP’s coverage of the Mamas. Find any recent MSM report on Africa – it is mostly sensational and driven by the bad and ugly. While I would not advocate that we live a life of denial, we and the world certainly do not need to be reminded – all the time – that the Africa is a continent of strife, calamity, and people living on less than a dollar a day!
The MTV Africa awards is a great publicity tool in the right hands as mentioned by Beauty, even if the venue was not the ideal and event poorly planned and managed – the event is a major step out of the darkness of MSM reports on Africa.
November 24, 2008 at 11:22 am
That’s how they are. The western media is generally biased in their reportage on Africa.
November 25, 2008 at 1:12 am
If we agree that there is bias in western media, how does it hurt us? If the types of reports on Sarah Palin (Governor of Alaska) were published in Africa, how many journalists will now be in jail? Mandy leads a merry dance, Look out, the Prince of Darkness is turning all sweetness and light was how guardian.co.uk portrayed UK´s Secretary of State for Business that held one of the most powerful jobs in the European Union, EU Trade Commissioner. Pls note, it is all taken on as a welcomed distraction. People got over it and moved on. And until we begin to see our own not-so-funny joke, we are in danger of helping to maintain the status quo on a continent where “A child dies every three seconds in Africa”.
November 25, 2008 at 5:02 am
Everything seems to take us all back to one fact: Corruption, Injustice and Sacrilege in Africa. The MAMA night hence did not escape it. So the big question is not just the report on MAMA, or the reportage on it, but what MOTHER AFRICA is doing to its children – Leader beware!!!
November 25, 2008 at 9:27 am
How rude…
December 1, 2008 at 10:50 am
And just so we all know, the writer is also from the “world’s poorest continent”, BASHIR ADIGUN.
Can someone tell me why this gentleman, who I can only assume is Nigerian would be so condescending? Should I not be shocked that his editor didn’t deem it fit to strike that specific offensive description out of the article?
Off to find Bashir. I so desperately hope I can find him. What an interesting conversation it would be. I’m so curious…
December 1, 2008 at 10:53 am
Addirtional context – Bashir was recently arrested and detained by the SSS in the Channels TV saga. Might that be a reason for the ‘backhand slap’?
See – http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2008/09/17/1876660-nigerian-police-release-detained-reporters
December 1, 2008 at 10:57 am
I saw that about Bashir when I made the post…it baffles me that a Nigerian would write that. Maybe the phrase was added by the AP editor…
December 1, 2008 at 4:56 pm