Trace Awards Disaster: Broadcast Cut Off as Chaos Unfolds
Diamond Platnumz urges President Suluhu to build a proper event arena after the chaotic Trace Awards in Zanzibar.
The famous Tanzanian artist, Diamond Platnumz, has once again asked President Samia Suluhu Hassan to build an arena that can host major events like Trace Awards.
Diamond made this request during the Trace Awards ceremony, held in Zanzibar on February 26, 2025. The event faced multiple challenges, leading to its sudden removal from all Trace TV channels.
Speaking at the event, Diamond urged the president to help artists by constructing a proper venue for large-scale performances. His words seemed to reflect the chaotic nature of the awards ceremony, which was held outdoors on a beach.
Event Delays and Confusion
The event was initially delayed due to strong winds, pushing the starting time to late at night. Viewers were informed at the last minute about the change.
The awards were supposed to be broadcast live at 8:30 PM Kigali time, with celebrities walking the red carpet at that moment. While the red carpet event began on time, the main show was postponed to 10:00 PM—forcing attendees and viewers to wait. It finally started at 10:45 PM.
The ceremony was hosted by D’Banj and Aaliyah Mohamed, who tried to keep the energy up, but the low attendance was noticeable. The first performance was by Marioo, joined on stage by Bien, formerly of Sauti Sol. Later, Yemi Alade and Joshua Baraka also performed.
The first awards of the night went to:
Best Producer: P-Prime
Best Francophone Artist: Josey
However, things became more chaotic when the event’s schedule became unclear, leading to long pauses between performances and awards.
At 11:35 PM, Fally Ipupa was called on stage, but just as he appeared, the Trace Music YouTube livestream suddenly went offline. Two minutes later, all Trace TV channels also cut off the broadcast.
After realizing the situation was out of control, Trace TV issued a statement promising that the awards would be properly aired the following week.
Despite the challenges, the event was attended by several Rwandan artists, including The Ben, Element, and Bruce Melodie, who performed with Harmonize on their song "Zanzibar".
