BET OR BAET AWARDS?

Finally, African stars and their music were moving to America to be set on the same stage and class as the well-known American musicians. More so, fans couldn’t wait to help their idols lock the prize by profusely voting via the websites and continually talking about it on the social networks.

It seems like a positive step toward opening the doors to Africa for American pop consumers, and no doubt it holds the promise of being a global springboard for individual artists like Wizkid and Sardokie, jointly crowned BET’s Best International Act: Africa for 2012.

But then, what are we to make of the fact that African artists have been made to receive their prizes for outstanding work on another stage – backstage—and their well- prepared speeches recorded and broadcast during the ceremony like they weren’t present in the hall?

We all know that recorded speeches or acknowledgment are made when the winner can’t make it to the ceremony.

Music critics in Africa have taken note of the rather shocking gesture and further brought to light other disturbing issues like questioning why African artists do not perform at these awards, which would clearly go a lot further than a halfhearted backstage honor in exposing their talents to the BET audience.

In addition, some critics see the gesture as a way for BET to only try and buffer their empire by doing a little cross-oceanic promotion, and adding a few “international” categories into their mainly U.S.-focused award show. “BET is a company that seems more invested in projecting its U.S -centric brand outwards rather than investing in a non-American outlook on its networks,” Boima Tucker writes in a blog entry titled “Africa is a Category.” “So these inclusionary attempts tend to look like a case of an acknowledgement of those that can most ‘act like us,’ than a desire to connect with a diverse international idea of blackness.”

The black community has also questioned the fact that if BET solidly appreciates and honors impeccable black talents across the world, as they claim to do recently, why has Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, a man who single handedly pioneered ‘Afro Music’ for the world, never been recognized or his songs performed at the awards? Meanwhile music giants Jay-Z and Will Smith invested millions of dollars into bringing “Fela” to Broadway.

This leaves us with one major worry: Should African artists continue to leave their beloved continent, where they are been adored, praised and loved dearly each year to be made a fool at a so-called Black Entertainment Awards?

BET should stop taking advantage of our rich cultural resources and start recognizing African artists like any other black artists in the USA or the world.

At least, last I checked, it’s still BET and not BAET Awards!