Samini Wins African Best Performer Award

Samini once again flew the flag of Ghana high on the international music scene when he won the Best Performer award at the 2009 MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain (MAMAs) ceremony held in Nairobi, Kenya, last Saturday. The event honours and celebrates Africa's contemporary music stars.

The Ghanaian star, who already has two international awards to his credit, (Best African Act at the 2006 Music of Black Origin (MOBO) in the UK and African Artiste of the Year at the 2008 Hip Hop World awards in Nigeria) placed dancehall firmly on the map with his latest award, a fitting tribute to his trademark high energy live performances.

On his return to Accra on Monday afternoon, an excited Samini, was met at the airport by an equally excited welcome party that included musicians and dancers.

He told his fans that the honour was for all Ghanaians and thanked all the people in Ghana and across the continent who voted for him to grab the trophy.

Artiste of the Year went to D'Banj - showing the Nigerian star remains at the top of his game after a triple win in 2008 and his MTV Europe Music Awards win in 2007.

Other big winners of the evening were Nameless (Kenya) and M.I. (Nigeria). The two artists took home two trophies each at the Pan-African music celebration.

Nameless won the coveted Best Male Artiste as well as the Listener's Choice category which recognizes the biggest radio hits of the year. M.I. clinched an impressive duo, scoring for Best New Act and Best Hip Hop.

Best Female went to Kenyan star Amani, making it two in a row for Kenyan female performers after Wahu's win in Abuja in 2008.

Host Wyclef Jean set the uplifting tone for the evening with an electrifying live set including monster hits 'Sweetest Girl', 'No Woman No Cry' and 'Ready or Not'. Hip hop phenomenon Akon, making a long anticipated trip to Kenya, rose to the challenge, rousing the crowd with a show-stopping version of his track, Beautiful.

Dr Saad Al Barrak, CEO of Zain, the co-sponsor of the MAMAs, said the evening confirmed the huge talent that Africa possesses and the influence it had upon the world of music.

“Much of the music we listen to today has its roots in this great continent. I cannot emphasise strongly enough what a privilege it is for Zain to lend its name to such an event. In doing so, we are both keeping alive the flame of Africa's cultural consciousness and delivering on our promise to bring you “A wonderful world.”

In keeping with the show's purpose of bringing Africa together, the MAMA awards featured multiple collaborations between artists from different countries and music genres - mixing up hip hop with R&B, alternative, soul and dancehall, among others.

Among the collaborations thrilling the 4,000 strong crowd was a three way tie-up featuring HHP, Brickz and 2FACE, and a stunning collaboration between Kenyan divas Amani and Wahu and Tanzania's A.Y. and a dramatic hip-hop/rock mash-up between Zebra & Giraffe and Da LES.

The evening closed with a moving performance of Michael Jackson's crowd pleaser 'Wanna Be Starting Something' with Akon and all the other performers.