MAMA – South Africa To Host MTV Africa Music Awards 2016

It’s official – MTV Africa Music Awards – MAMA is back in its sixth edition, and it will be holding in South Africa on Saturday, October 22, 2016, at the Ticketpro Dome, in Johannesburg.

The event which is being powered by Joburg Tourism in conjunction with Absolut will broadcast live from The Ticketpro Dome, Johannesburg, South Africa at 20:00 WAT/21:00 CAT. The show will also be transmitted worldwide on partner stations and content platforms from October onwards, while MTV channels around the world will broadcast a one-hour MAMA-themed MTV World Stage.
The definitive annual celebration of African and international talent and achievement, MAMA 2016 recognises and rewards musicians and achievers who have made the most impact on African music and youth culture over the previous year.

The ceremony will feature stunning performances from African and international artists along with the show’s signature cross-genre and cross-border collaborations.

MAMA 2016 will celebrate African talent across 17 award categories, including Best Male, Best Female, Best Song and Best Collaboration by Absolut.

[See MTV Africa Music Awards 2015 Winners’ List]
The contribution of artists from Portuguese and French-speaking Africa will also be recognised in the Best Lusophone and Best Francophone categories.

Additional categories include the Africa Re-Imagined Award and Personality of the Year. The full nominations for the awards will be announced in September 2016.

“We are thrilled that the MTV Africa Music Awards will be taking place in Johannesburg, City of Gold, for the first time on 22 October. We are looking forward to staging the largest awards show in Africa, in one of the continent’s most vibrant cities. Noted for its exciting youth culture and rich music scene, Joburg will make the perfect backdrop for our biggest MAMA ever,” commented Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks Africa.

Celebrating the Pan-African scope of the MTV Africa Music Awards, the event will encompass two stunning Road to MAMA events featuring MAMA nominees and superstar DJs, to be held in Durban and Lagos. Another much-anticipated element of MAMA 2016 will be a music industry workshop for aspiring musicians held on the day prior to the awards (October 21, 2016).


First staged in 2008, the MTV Africa Music Awards has recognised the talent of musicians, achievers and personalities from across Africa, rewarding iconic artists and game changers such as Innocent ‘Tubaba’ Idibia, Big Nuz, Cassper Nyovest, Davido, D’Banj, Flavour, Gangs of Ballet, HHP, Fally Ipupa, Liquideep, Mafikizolo, Lira, Nameless, Lupita Nyong’o, Clarence Peters, Diamond Platnumz, Anselmo Ralph, Sarkodie, P-Square, Tiwa Savage, Cabo Snoop, Toofan, Trevor Noah, Zebra & Giraffe, Uhuru, Wahu, Yemi Alade, and many more.