AMVCA 12 Celebrates African Storytelling, Talent, and Cinematic Excellence

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The 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards was held on May 9, 2026, at the Eko Hotel and Suites Convention Centre, under the evolving partnership between Canal+ and MultiChoice, bringing together the biggest names in African film, television, and entertainment for a night of celebrating cinematic excellence and storytelling across the continent.
Hosted by Nomzamo Mbatha and Bovi, the ceremony opened with the Best Costume Design category, where Valerie Okeke won for Colors of Fire.
Among the biggest winners of the night was My Father’s Shadow, which secured five awards including Best Movie, Best Director for Akinola Davies Jr., Best Writing Movie for Wale Davies and Akinola Davies, Best Sound Design, and Best Score/Music.
Colors of Fire also emerged as one of the night’s standout productions, earning three awards including Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction for Ajamolaya Bunmi and Yakub Oladejo, and Best Lead Actor for Uzor Arukwe.
Similarly, To Kill a Monkey snagged multiple wins, taking home Best Cinematography for Kabelo Thathe, Best Editing for Daniel Anyiam, and Best Supporting Actor for Bucci Franklin.
In the acting categories, Linda Ejiofor earned two awards, winning Best Lead Actress for The Serpent’s Gift and Best Supporting Actress for The Herd.
Other major winners included Hakeem Onilogbo (Hakeem Effect) for Best Makeup for Lisabi, while MTV Shuga Mashariki won Best Writing TV Series.
The awards also celebrated storytelling across Africa’s indigenous language categories, with Lisabi winning Best Indigenous Language (West Africa), Leul Addis Fikir winning East Africa, Tlhaho Ya Mosadi taking Southern Africa, Our Memories, Areal Alhanin winning North Africa, and Mabanda emerging winner in Central Africa.
In television and digital categories, Inimba secured two awards for Best Indigenous M-Net Original and Best Scripted Series, while Nigerian Idol Season 10 won Best Unscripted M-Net Original. Out and About emerged winner of Best Unscripted Series, while Leave to Live by Sophia Chisom and Emmanuel Kanaga won Best Digital Content Creator.
The Best Documentary award went to Beyond Olympic Glory by Shedrack Salami, while Hussaini, by Josh Olaoluwa and Orire Nwani, won Best Short Film. MTN also rewarded the winners with a ₦5 million cash prize in recognition of their achievement.
Beyond the awards, the ceremony featured memorable performances from Fave, Tiwa Savage, and BNXN, while Purp (Nigerian Idol Season 10 winner) delivered a moving memorial performance in honour of industry figures who passed away.
Veteran actors Sola Sobowale and Kanayo O. Kanayo received the Industry Merit Award for their contributions to the African film industry, while Uche Montana was honoured with the Trailblazer Award.
Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu also addressed guests during the ceremony, commending Canal+ and the organisers for sustaining the platform and celebrating African creativity.
“If you don’t win tonight, you can win next year because it is not just about winning alone. Even being nominated is a big achievement,” he said, adding that the AMVCA would continue to grow bigger with each edition.
With its blend of entertainment, recognition, and cultural celebration, AMVCA 12 once again reinforced its position as one of Africa’s most prestigious platforms celebrating excellence in African film and television.

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Seven AFRIMA Diamonds begin journey to African music glory The stage was set, the lights dazzled and the future of African music took centre stage as the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) and the African Union Commission (AUC) unveiled seven emerging artistes tipped to become the continent’s next generation of superstars. During the AFRIMA Diamond Party and Prize Presentation held on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at Voyage Lagos, Nigeria, AFRIMA Awards, through its Talent Discovery and Promotion programme, formally launched Ellacentric, Black Astro, Yamayeh Vibez, Mayowa Afolabi, DELLFIRE, El Nayaan and Blinkz Baba into the African music space, declaring them the latest talents poised to take African music to greater heights. The seven artistes, collectively known as the AFRIMA Diamonds, emerged from a continent-wide talent search that attracted entries from aspiring musicians across Africa. Speaking at the event, the President and Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada, delivered a stirring charge to the young talents, predicting that they could become dominant forces in African music within the next two to three years. Standing before an audience of entertainment executives, artistes, influencers and industry stakeholders at the prestigious Voyage Lagos, Dada said the Diamonds had been carefully selected because of their exceptional talent and potential to shape the future of African music. “You are not here by accident. You were chosen because we saw something special in you. We saw talent, passion, discipline and the potential to become stars not just in your countries, but across Africa and the world. “I am challenging you today to go out and dominate the music space in the next two to three years. The opportunity is here. The platform is here. The spotlight is on you. The next move belongs to you,” he said. Dada said AFRIMA’s vision extends beyond celebrating established stars, stressing that the awards platform was committed to building a pipeline of globally competitive African talents. He noted that Africa’s growing youth population presents a unique opportunity for governments and industry leaders to invest in the creative sector. “The world is moving towards a content creation economy. Content is the new currency. Young people are creating value every day through music, digital media, fashion and entertainment. Our culture is our competitive advantage. The question is how we can leverage it for economic benefit, job creation and sustainable development. That is the direction AFRIMA is focused on, and we will continue to invest in initiatives that empower young Africans through creativity,” he said. The seven Diamonds earned their place after a rigorous selection process conducted by AFRIMA’s International Jury before being introduced to a wider audience through performances at the AFRIMA Music Village during the ninth AFRIMA Awards. At the party in their honour, the Diamonds once again took centre stage, delivering electrifying performances that left guests cheering and offered a glimpse into what could become the next wave of African music stars. An emotional Black Astro described the initiative as a turning point in his career. “This opportunity has changed everything for me. AFRIMA has given us visibility, confidence and access to people who can help shape our future. We are ready to show the world what we can do,” he said. Mayowa Afolabi said, “Being named an AFRIMA Diamond is a dream come true. This platform has given us an opportunity that many young artistes spend years searching for.” Ellacentric also expressed gratitude for the journey, describing the experience as a powerful reminder that perseverance and hard work can eventually pay off. As part of their rewards, the seven artistes secured participation slots in the Showbiz 101 Workshop and Music Creation Camp organised by bridgeAFRIC, where they will receive mentorship and collaborate with some of Africa’s leading music producers and artistes. Speaking on behalf of New Media Technologies Nigeria, the national distributor of SE Electronics, Bolaji Onisiwo, while presenting the musical equipment, said, “You have been identified as some of Africa’s brightest emerging talents. With that comes the responsibility to keep learning, improving and representing the continent positively through your music. These are not just gifts but investments, and how you use them will determine how far your careers can go,” Onisiwo said. The event, which had hospitality and entertainment provided by Voyage Lagos, attracted some of renowned names in the creative and entertainment industry, including Radio personality and Hypeman extraordinaire, Do2dtun Energy Gahd; Head of International Jury of AFRIMA, Olisa Adibua; Principal Consultant, Equally Diverse Solutions, Bolaji Durojaiye; CEO Voyage Lagos, Nader Issa; UK Rapper, SneaKBO; Chief Brand, Communications & Programming Officer, Murphy Ben International, Mark Redgard and CEO, DNMT, Michael Igbelabo, among others. With the celebrations over, attention now shifts to the seven AFRIMA Diamonds. For them, the journey has only just begun, and if Dada’s prediction proves accurate, Africa may have witnessed the unveiling of its next music sensations

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Seven AFRIMA Diamonds begin journey to African music glory The stage was set, the lights dazzled and the future of African music took centre stage as the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) and the African Union Commission (AUC) unveiled seven emerging artistes tipped to become the continent’s next generation of superstars. During the AFRIMA Diamond Party and Prize Presentation held on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at Voyage Lagos, Nigeria, AFRIMA Awards, through its Talent Discovery and Promotion programme, formally launched Ellacentric, Black Astro, Yamayeh Vibez, Mayowa Afolabi, DELLFIRE, El Nayaan and Blinkz Baba into the African music space, declaring them the latest talents poised to take African music to greater heights. The seven artistes, collectively known as the AFRIMA Diamonds, emerged from a continent-wide talent search that attracted entries from aspiring musicians across Africa. Speaking at the event, the President and Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada, delivered a stirring charge to the young talents, predicting that they could become dominant forces in African music within the next two to three years. Standing before an audience of entertainment executives, artistes, influencers and industry stakeholders at the prestigious Voyage Lagos, Dada said the Diamonds had been carefully selected because of their exceptional talent and potential to shape the future of African music. “You are not here by accident. You were chosen because we saw something special in you. We saw talent, passion, discipline and the potential to become stars not just in your countries, but across Africa and the world. “I am challenging you today to go out and dominate the music space in the next two to three years. The opportunity is here. The platform is here. The spotlight is on you. The next move belongs to you,” he said. Dada said AFRIMA’s vision extends beyond celebrating established stars, stressing that the awards platform was committed to building a pipeline of globally competitive African talents. He noted that Africa’s growing youth population presents a unique opportunity for governments and industry leaders to invest in the creative sector. “The world is moving towards a content creation economy. Content is the new currency. Young people are creating value every day through music, digital media, fashion and entertainment. Our culture is our competitive advantage. The question is how we can leverage it for economic benefit, job creation and sustainable development. That is the direction AFRIMA is focused on, and we will continue to invest in initiatives that empower young Africans through creativity,” he said. The seven Diamonds earned their place after a rigorous selection process conducted by AFRIMA’s International Jury before being introduced to a wider audience through performances at the AFRIMA Music Village during the ninth AFRIMA Awards. At the party in their honour, the Diamonds once again took centre stage, delivering electrifying performances that left guests cheering and offered a glimpse into what could become the next wave of African music stars. An emotional Black Astro described the initiative as a turning point in his career. “This opportunity has changed everything for me. AFRIMA has given us visibility, confidence and access to people who can help shape our future. We are ready to show the world what we can do,” he said. Mayowa Afolabi said, “Being named an AFRIMA Diamond is a dream come true. This platform has given us an opportunity that many young artistes spend years searching for.” Ellacentric also expressed gratitude for the journey, describing the experience as a powerful reminder that perseverance and hard work can eventually pay off. As part of their rewards, the seven artistes secured participation slots in the Showbiz 101 Workshop and Music Creation Camp organised by bridgeAFRIC, where they will receive mentorship and collaborate with some of Africa’s leading music producers and artistes. Speaking on behalf of New Media Technologies Nigeria, the national distributor of SE Electronics, Bolaji Onisiwo, while presenting the musical equipment, said, “You have been identified as some of Africa’s brightest emerging talents. With that comes the responsibility to keep learning, improving and representing the continent positively through your music. These are not just gifts but investments, and how you use them will determine how far your careers can go,” Onisiwo said. The event, which had hospitality and entertainment provided by Voyage Lagos, attracted some of renowned names in the creative and entertainment industry, including Radio personality and Hypeman extraordinaire, Do2dtun Energy Gahd; Head of International Jury of AFRIMA, Olisa Adibua; Principal Consultant, Equally Diverse Solutions, Bolaji Durojaiye; CEO Voyage Lagos, Nader Issa; UK Rapper, SneaKBO; Chief Brand, Communications & Programming Officer, Murphy Ben International, Mark Redgard and CEO, DNMT, Michael Igbelabo, among others. With the celebrations over, attention now shifts to the seven AFRIMA Diamonds. For them, the journey has only just begun, and if Dada’s prediction proves accurate, Africa may have witnessed the unveiling of its next music sensations

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