Tanzania’s music industry has been thriving, with Tanzanian superstar Naseeb Abdul, also known as Diamond Platnumz, winning the Best African Act Award at the 2023 MTV Awards, beating Nigerian star Burna Boy. Asake, Libianca, and Tyler ICU were also nominated in the same category.
This is Diamond’s third MTV European Music Award (EMA), making him the first African artist to achieve this feat. He first received recognition in 2015 when he won two awards for Best African Act and Best Worldwide Act (Africa/India) at a one-night awards ceremony.
Other artists who have won this award in the past include Burna Boy (2019 and 2022), Wizkid (2016 and 2021), Davido (2019), Master KG (2020), Tiwa Savage (2018), and Sauti Sol (2014).
Diamond’s outstanding achievement has been celebrated by multiple stakeholders in the arts industry, including the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Sports, Gerson Msigwa, and the National Arts Council (BASATA).
The list of all the winners of the awards was announced on the organizer’s website yesterday after the actual event was canceled due to the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict in the Middle East.
In a statement, the MTV EMA explained that the event was meant to be a global celebration of music, but given the devastating events in Israel and Gaza, it did not feel appropriate to continue with the event. Instead, they called for a moment of mourning, given the thousands of lives lost already.
Source: Daily News
