By BAMUTURAKI MUSINGUZI

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MTV Africa and MTV Base have announced the return of the continental flagship MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) to be held on February 20, 2021.

The awards which showcase African culture, music, and creativity will be held in a reimagined virtual format in partnership with Uganda.

In a statement, the organisers said the MAMAs 2021 will recognise and reward musicians, trailblazers and those who are shining a light on the continent’s diverse talent and creativity by instilling positive impact on African music and youth culture in the past year.

The event will celebrate African talent across 20 award categories, including Best Male, Best Female, Best Song, and Best Collaboration.

The contribution of artistes from Portuguese and French-speaking Africa will also be recognised in the Best Lusophone and Best Francophone categories.

Additional new categories included are the MAMAs Generation Change Award, Best Fan Base, Alone Together Best Lock-down Performance and Personality of the Year. These new categories seek to demonstrate MTV Base’s commitment to supporting the youth of Africa.

The category selection period is from October 2019 to October 2020. The nominees will be announced in December 2020 and fans will then vote for their favourite stars online.

The event will be broadcast live on February 20, 2021 on MTV channels across multiple continents as a one-hour MAMA-themed MTV World Stage feature.