MTV Postpones MAMAs Amid Report Detailing Bobi Wine's Abuse

The award show, set to be hosted in Kampala, Uganda, has been cancelled after a series of onslaughts against the opposition leader.

MTV Postpones MAMAs Amid Report Detailing Bobi Wine's Abuse
Photo by SUMY SADURNI/AFP via Getty Images

MTV and MTV Base have officially postponed this years MTV African Music Awards show, after an online campaign urged the music giant to reconsider supporting the Ugandan government. Said government has been under fire for the appallingly public abuse against opposition leader and former musician Bobi Wine.

The presidential candidate said during a news conference on Thursday, "It was painful to see MTV was being used to sanitize the oppressive regime here in Uganda. I am glad MTV is also seeing it and acting in respect of all the rights of artists. It would be such a shame for the MTV Music Awards to be held in Uganda under gunpoint."

While Wine hasn't explicitly been named as the sole reason behind the postponement, the recent online demand to cancel the show and acknowledge the arguably criminal offences against him, his family and staff could not have been ignored. Additionally, Wine's legal team released a 50-page report detailing the abuses, human rights violations and wrongdoings in response to his presidential candidacy. Said report has also been shared with the European Union, the European Council, the US Department of State and foreign ministries of the UK, France, Australia and several others.

Bobi took to Twitter recently, after being released from house arrest and social media being reinstated in Uganda, to condemn the Uganda government and the ill treatment of so many Ugandans.

Read our recent opinion piece, Op-Ed: The MTV MAMAs Shouldn't Be Happening In Uganda.

MTV has not commented on why the show has been postponed.

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