Sponsored by Sierra Leone’s leading mobile telecommunications network, Zain, four Sierra Leoneans, who successfully participated in the 2009 MAMA TV Africa Music Awards hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, has returned to their homeland, Sierra Leone.
The four revered Sierra Leoneans include Alonzo, Rosaline Strasser-King, Mohamed I. Fofanah and the Public Relations Executive of Zain Sierra Leone, June Rose-Johnson.
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Akon and Alonzo |
Sierra Leone’s musical superstar of ‘Angel’ and ‘Africa Unite’ fame, known as Alonzo, performed live before the VIP guests, prior to the starting of the hectic Red Carpet event, which was staged by the amateur singers for the MAMA Africa Award.
Rosaline Strasser-King, who, in a Zain SMS voting competition, won herself the privilege to represent her motherland in the special ‘My Video’ category, put up an impressive performance on stage, in the midst of nine Zain operative countries audience.
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WYCLEF JEAN AT THE MTV AFRICA MUSIC AWARDS WITH ZAIN 2009 |
Teacher Mohamed I. Fofanah, the lucky Zain Sierra Leone subscriber, who won the ticket to Kenya in a Zain raffle, was very elated whilst explaining his experience at the award as an observer.
June Rose-Johnson served as the host of the Sierra Leonean guests in Kenya and returned to Sierra Leone in an ecstatic mood.
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Thokozani Dube receives the MAMA Legend Award on behalf of his late father, Lucky Dube at the MTV AFRICA MUSIC AWARDS WITH ZAIN 2009 |
The occasion that attracted musicians and artists from various countries in Africa was held on Saturday 10th October 2009 at Moi International Sports Complex, Kassarani, in Nairobi, Kenya.
The evening closed with a moving performance of Michael Jackson’s crowd pleaser ‘Wanna Be Starting Something’ with Akon and all the other performers.
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Alonzo and 2Face |
Dr. Saad Al Barrak, CEO of Zain, the co-sponsor of the MAMAs, said the evening confirmed the huge talent that Africa possesses and the influence it had upon the world of music. “Much of the music we listen to today has its roots in this great continent. I cannot emphasize strongly enough what a privilege it is for Zain to lend its name to such an event. In doing so, we are both keeping alive the flame of Africa’s cultural consciousness and delivering on our promise to bring you “A wonderful world.”
© Copyright by Awareness Times
Newspaper in Freetown, Sierra Leone.