AKON STARS IN SEASON FINALE OF MTV BASE MEETS… MTN
Thursday, September 27, 2012Omoba
MTV Base and MTN are
to round off a fascinating second season of youth empowerment series MTV Base
Meets… with MTN by screening a gripping interview with Senegalese-American
recording artist and business mogul, Akon.
MTV Base Meets Akon
with MTN will premiere on terrestrial TV stations across Africa including: TV2
(Cameroon), Wednesday 26 September at 21:00;
Swazi TV (Swaziland), Thursday 27 September at 18:30; Rwanda TV (Rwanda),
Thursday 27 September at 17:30; Viasat (Ghana), Thursday 27 September at 21:00;
NTV (Uganda), Friday 28 September at 18:00; Muvi TV (Zambia), Friday 28
September at 17:00; STV (Nigeria), Sunday 30 September at 17:00. The episode will premiere on MTV Base (DStv
Channel 322) on Wednesday 3 September 2012 at 20:30 CAT.
Akon met with MTV VJ
Vanessa Mdee and five passionate young Africans from all over the continent on
Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles, California in September 2012. Among those lining up to meet with Akon were
Zambian computer science student Catherine Nkonjera (20), Rwandan commerce
student Marc Gwamaka (24), 20 year old computer science student Xolani Kunene
from Swaziland, Ugandan economics student and music promoter Kenneth Tamali
(22) and South African designer Annah Mabasa (26).
Among the topics
discussed by Akon and the group are fame, ambition, education, how to find and
develop your talent, cultural cross-over and the importance of fighting for
what you believe in. Akon also talked
about the importance of developing his art, the joy of collaborating with other
artists such as Michael Jackson and The Fugees, his role in developing the
careers of T-Pain and Lady Gaga and his latest reinvention – as a movie actor.
Like many of the
previous panellists in the series, the youth involved in the interview were
inspired by their meeting with Akon.
Comments Mark Gwamaka, “The great become great because they keep on learning all the time.”
“He has taught me to put the past behind me and focus and progress,” says Annah Mabasa.
Adds Catherine Nkonjera, “I love the fact that he talked about finding your talent ‘cause even if it’s uncool you just haveto do it.”
Akon is one of seven
high profile ‘influencers’ to have featured in Season 2 of the youth
empowerment series, including South African politician Winnie
Madikizela-Mandela, Hip-Hop pioneer and entrepreneur, Russell Simmons, South
Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek, His Excellency Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former
President of Nigeria, Togolese international soccer star Emmanuel Adebayor and
Hollywood actor Idris Elba.
First initiated in
2011, MTV Base Meets…with MTN connects African youth with the thought leaders,
opinion formers, decision makers and role models who shape their world. Season
2 of MTV Base Meets…with MTN airs across Africa on MTV Base (DSTV Channel 322)
and on terrestrial stations across the continent, including STV (Nigeria),
Spectrum TV (Cameroon), Viasat (Ghana), Rwanda TV (Rwanda), Swazi TV
(Swaziland), Muvi TV (Zambia) and NTV (Uganda).
In each episode of MTV
Base Meets…with MTN, ambitious young Africans from all walks of life pose hard
questions to high-profile “thought leaders” about issues close to their hearts
– in an intimate and informal environment, with no questions off-limits. Topics on the agenda include entrepreneurship,
education, youth culture, politics, sport, racism, gender issues and the
African Renaissance. To date, youth panellists asking the questions have
included students, journalists, bloggers, models, comedians, actors, musicians,
humanitarian campaigners and poets.
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