The worst thing about made-for-TV shows is usually the duration. Counting some 11 acts billed to perform at the the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) –  that’s excluding Wyclef and Akon – and factoring in the inevitable downtime for set changes and fluffs, I prayed my attention span would co-operate.

Pop the hood for a full account of the night that was MAMAs 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya.

God bless the genius whose idea it was to have joint performances throughout, a sensible way to keep the show concise.

Best part is they rang true. The African camaraderie many of the performing artists had alluded to at a press conference the day before came to life on show night: Kenyan MC Nameless and Samini, dancehall star from Ghana, both MAMA winners, teamed up with Wyclef teamed for their tribute to slain South African reggae legend Lucky Dube.

Clef kicked off the show jumping on keyboards, congas and guitar as he tore through abbreviated versions of his own and Fugee classics Ready or Not, No Woman No Cry, 911 and …err… Hips Don’t Lie. Then came Dollar Bill, the natural entry point for his (hugely anticipated) collaborator Akon to join him on stage. Cue the pandemonium.

The back story goes Akon had been expected to play in Kenya on three previous occasions but somehow because of shady promoter dealings, it had never gone to plan. But all was forgiven and forgotten in this moment as he miscalculated his stage dive, landed flat on his ass, and then got back up again to tread the shoulders of his euphoric fans. If they noticed, they didn’t care that he was blatantly miming his hits including Dangerous, Smack That, Beautiful and, of course, Mama Africa. Kenyans Nameless and Amani winning two awards that night (best male and female respectively) fed the enthusiasm of an already amped home crowd, and gave the night two of its many moments.

Another was an unexpected and explosive smash-out courtesy of South Africans rock group Zebra and Giraffe (winners of the best alternative award) with rapper Da L.E.S (nominee for best video). Most likely the most successful cross-genre attempt of the night.Frankly, there was enough going on for Wyclef and Akon not to have to strip down to their underpants for laughs, which they did mid way through the proceedings. Presumably this was our ‘I’mma let you finish’ moment?

Ugandan coca-cola pop star winners Blu 3 (best group nominees) were somewhat out of sync with their assigned co-performer Congolese Fally Ipupa. A shame really, cos homie is a hottie, can sing and is sort of a big deal in francophone Africa which doesn’t get nearly as much shine as it should on MTV Base.  Oh and he also gave a job to G-Unit’s former first lady, Olivia. Best song she was ever on if you ask me!

Akon led the big finish with his remake of Michael Jackson’s Wanna Be Starting Something. Everyone else crammed the stage clapping along as flamboyant Nigerian superstar D’Banj took his role as the Michael Jackson of Africa (by Wyclef’s appointment) extra seriously, busting back flips, half-splits and all sorts.

Minutes earlier Clef had congratulated him on winning the artist of the year award and quipped, “Stay focused D’Banj. Don’t be going all crazy on me like Lauryn Hill!”

Not sure if all of this will make it to final edit but as award shows go, this to me was probably the most polished one I’ve seen all year.

Where, for example, the UK’s Music of Black Origin (MOBO) awards seem to be inching towards the right path, MAMAs, only two years old, could very well lead the charge for recognising and celebrating Black people’s music correctly.