The discrimination of Black Entertainment Television Awards ( BET Awards ) toward the African black race is getting interesting everyday.
The organization of the award introduce the BET Awards ” Best International Act Africa ” category in 2010, to recognized the African black race musicians, but the situation is still the same of giving the winner of the awards at backstage or empty stage.
Hundreds of Africa entertainers and journalists will flew over 6,000 miles from the continent to attend the BET Awards, but still yet the organizer still see them as slave that did not entitled to enjoy in the same table with their counterpart in USA.
Since 5 years that BET Awards introduced these category called ” Best International Act Africa ”, they usually received their awards in backstage, but now they have change the status by awarding the winner 5 hours before the award ceremony in front of empty seat.
However, the interesting scenario about this is that millions of BET Awards fans in African, stayed till day break to watch in award ceremony without even thinking of the cost for Pay Per View Cable subscription and internet date plan.
This year edition of BET Awards ” Best International Act Africa ” have heavyweight act such as Stonebwoy (Ghana), Sarkodie (Ghana), Wizkid (Nigeria), Yemi Alade (Nigeria), Fally Ipupa (DRC), Sauti Sol (Kenya) and AKA (South Africa).
While Ghanian dance-hall singer Stonebwoy, emerge the winner and he was awarded with is award in front of an empty room, five hours prior to the event and that is about all he got.
In short the BET Awards continue their ideal of disrespecting the African Continent, artists themselves now refusing to show up for the awards.
UK- based Ghanian singer Fuse ODG, boycott the award ceremony even though he was nominated in the ” International Act UK ” category, Yemi Alade, was nominated for the award and who showed up had something to say about such treatment, and Dencia who is US based also had something to say.
Pop star Wizkid was in L.A and also nominated for the award but he did not show up for the event.
Dencia
“While u were worried about my outfit?your faves were waiting to give a speech in front of empty chairs with pictures at an award show made for black people.I wish y’all will be telling BET to fix that.Two years ago i spoke about that I was called a hater..FYI awards don’t come with money & awards don’t mean anyone is better than anyone (After all I have seen amazing artists get beat by not so good artists) so while u worried about me getting an award I am worried about where I’m gonna drive my Rolls Royce wraith to but for those of you who care I think African artists should be treated equally (like the American artists) how are you bringing cultures together if u aren’t putting them together officially? If the Oscars did the same thing all I’ll hear is racism..now take ur remaining data and help ur brethren (when they show u the awards in Africa it is edited to look like it was given in front of everyone)”
