Ice Prince was presented BET Award in an ‘EMPTY’ Auditorium and before the show; Such an insult!

• Posted on July 9, 2013July 9, 2013
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

“This year too?”, “BET should respect Africa for once” these were my exclamations when Ice Prince, the winner in that Category (Best International Act: Africa) was presented the Award hours before the commencement of the real show. I couldn’t sit an hour without the thought of such a shameful presentation flashing my mind. You read the headline right, Ice Prince really did receive the BET Award in front of an empty auditorium.

I wish I could answer your whys and hows but let me spew up my anger. Since the ‘Best International Act: Africa’ category was introduced in the BET Awards, there has not been one which has received the ‘all-goody’ reportage from media in Africa. If you win, you will either receive it backstage or wherever the Organizers find convenient for the winner.

Does a winner in any Category take more than 3 minutes to receive an award and share his gratitude with his fans and team? Why then can’t our African Acts climb to the stage to receive it like the Jay Z’s and Chris Brown’s do.  Such discrimination.

This year, our (Africans) hopes were raised to the fact that the winner in that Category will receive it on stage considering the fact that almost all ardent Showbiz Media published their anger addressing the way and where the award is presented and received. This ended this Reporter headling ‘R2Bees to be the first Africans to receive BET Award on stage?’

At the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles where the event was held, the winner who is from Nigeria, Ice Prince was disgracefully awarded in front of an empty auditorium. The question which comes to mind when I watched it was “did Africans beg the Organizers to add that category or they are doing the African Acts favour?” Answers to these, only the appropriate medium can answer.

The excited Ice Prince dressed in American flag jacket (aaaba!), who gladly and unashamedly called on all his fellow African nominees in that Category was in front of an empty auditorium when he received the Award from Ghanaian actor, model and presenter, Samuel Osei Sarpong. Randomly ask any attendee; who towered the Best International Act: Africa Category and he/she will request for a ‘pardon?’ if and only if that attendee hasn’t seen the full list of winners of the Awards.

What will African Acts do right to deserve a proper on stage Award? What is the reason for such disrespectful, shameful and hurry-up-let’s-start way of awarding our African Acts? Is BET doing Africa a favour or there is some secret no one is telling?

Now I ponder if receiving a BET Award as Africa’s best Act a glory or shame.

Author: Nana Kwesi Coomson (www.233times.net)