The nominations, host and performers for the first ever MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain will be announced on Tuesday 7th October 2008 at a glittering celebrity soirée and media reception at Planet One, Lagos, Nigeria. The MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain (MAMA) is MTV’s newest music award show, created specifically for the African continent to celebrate and uplift the region’s contemporary music and youth culture. The MAMAs reflect the tastes of Africa’s youth and offers an unprecedented global platform for African musicians to shine, and to spread the word about Africa’s extraordinary music talent. On 7th October, MTV and Zain will be revealing the nominees in 10 different Award categories including: ARTIST OF THE YEAR BEST ALTERNATIVE BEST FEMALE BEST GROUP BEST HIP-HOP BEST LIVE PERFORMANCE BEST MALE BEST NEW ACT BEST R&B VIDEO OF THE YEAR Voting for the MTV Africa Music Awards goes live on 7 October 2008 at 22:00 CAT. Music fans will be able to vote for their favourite artists online from 8 October-18 November via www.mama.mtvbase.com or via WAP at m.mama.mtvbase.com. The MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain will be staged at the Velodrome, Abuja, Nigeria on Saturday 22 November 2008 in front of an audience of 5,000 celebrities, media and music fans. The Awards will take the form of 2-hour TV spectacular, combining performances from top African and international stars with award presentations and an international superstar host, which will air around the world on Saturday 29 November. The awards will focus on contemporary African and international genres loved by the MTV audience in sub-Saharan Africa including R&B, Pop, Rock, Alternative, Gospel, Hip-hop, Hip-Life, Rumba, Soul, Electro, Funk, Afro Dance, Dance, Dancehall, Kwaito, Kuduru, Reggae, Afro Pop, Afro Beat, Ndombolo and Zouk.