Once Again BET Awards Takes A Beating For ‘Segregating and Humiliating’ Kenyans And Other Africans
Last year, BET awards got some serious clap-back for awarding Davido way before the main award ceremony while the ‘non-African’ winners had the cameras on them and the crowd below cheering.
Let’s be honest, the best part about receiving an award is walking up to the podium and receiving your award in front of the whole world.
So this business of the African celebrities being asked to arrive at the pre show early and hastily collecting their awards before the A-List American celebrities arrive for the main show is utter garbage. If you will not award them on the main stage with the rest, then kindly send them the award home, this business of sneaking them around like a mpango wa kando is shameful and offensive .
Kenyans have strong feelings about this said issue judging from comments such as these:
Jumanne Thomas: In 2009 the Tanzanian emcee on the BET hip hop awards cypher was also denied access to the red carpet even though they had the right ticket… it’s true the African presence can be good on many levels but thus far not everyone involved – including the audence – seems ready to accept African artists as on a same level as the acts they know.
Brendern Denousse: It’s funny how they want to claim their African heritage but don’t even have the respect to treat the African nominees like the other nominees
Moses Qqu: In last years awards there was a Jamaican segment where Dawn Penn, Chaka Demus and Pliers, Beenie man and Elephant man performed. What most people didn’t know is that Patra and Shabba Ranks refused to perform simply because they were denied a chance to walk the red carpet. Seems silly but Shabba elaborated that he was a grammy winner-two times for that matter…he had paid his dues….after all these years why accept to be sneaked through the backdoor.
Clearly Kenyans are not teh only ones feeling some-typa-way about this situation, notable African musicians have taken to social media to slam this move:
Yemi Alade started with this
“By the way…@bet_intl AFRICA IS NOT A COUNTRY.!!! ..IT IS WRONG TO NOMINATE HUGE AFRICAN STARS AND PUBLICLY TRY TO HUMILIATE AFRICA.WHY ON EARTH IS THE AFRICAN CATEGORY OF THE AWARDS HELD HOURS BEFORE THE “MAIN EVENT? IF AFRICAN ARTISTS ARE NOT WORTHY IN YOUR SIGHT.”
Before Wizkid came with this in a series of tweets:
Lol So I’m hearing BET is mad cos I didn’t come for the pre shows and interviews! Lol.
I love u all for what u do for black entertainment worldwide. I respect the fact u guys do this every year. i know it’s not easy. I understand
But I won’t be attending ur preshows and nominee parties if I’m getting the award at 10am before the main show. Same reason I didn’t come back stage to pick up the award when I won the first time
I don’t post about nominations or talk about awards cos I don’t really care to be honest. Just a bunch of peeps putting together a show!
Performing to my amazing fans and making music is all I care about. #TeamWizkid Love
Before dropping this gem “I love u BET! If I’m in the city when next u doing the award show , I’ll still come to watch. Lol”
Even Fuse ODG was not left behind and let his feelings known:
Truly this is the new Africa and people are tired of being treated like 2nd rate citizens.
