It's interesting that as MTV continues its unrelenting march toward obsolescence it's subsidiary, MTV Base Africa, hosts the first ever MTV Africa Awards, which is arguably the most relevant thing the global network has done in some time. While it's highly questionable that MTV waited so ridiculously long to host an event like this in Africa, the effort is worthy of attention. MTV Base Africa has 50 million viewers across the continent, which probably about 49 million more viewers that most people would anticipate. And although it is heavily influenced by pop music from the US, the blend of regional contemporary music and global music is refreshing comparatively speaking--there is no MTV Base USA. The awards show was equally as fusion-centric with performances from D'banj, Seun Kuti, The Game, and Kelly Rowland. In addition to some of the most interesting and innovative music coming from Africa, as our world becomes more and more interconnected it's fantastic that major networks and brands like MTV are no longer ignoring what Africa has to offer. In fact, they are celebrating the continent and including it in a global pop culture dialogue. [AP/SR]
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