Ghana’s Stonebwoy wins BET Award in Los Angeles

Stonebwoy (real name Livingstone Etse Satekla, aka Stonebwoy Burniton) took the coveted BET trophy ahead of his fellow nominees, consisting of his compatriot Sarkodie, rapper AKA and acapella group The Soil from South Africa, Sauti Sol (Kenya), Fally Ipupa (DRC) and Nigerian stars Wizkid and Yemi Alade.

Many Ghanaians have taken to social media to celebrate the victory and to congratulate him for winning at this year’s 15th edition of the BET Awards. Stonebwoy himself announced on his social media pages: “Ghana won! Dedicate this to the whole Ghana, my fans (BhimNation), not forgetting the flood victims. Thank you God!“

This was Stonebwoy’s first ever nomination for the international award. The award is the latest of many for Stonebwoy, who in April this year was named Artiste of the Year at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA), surprising more established acts like Sarkodie.

The latest addition to Stonebwoy’s trophy cabinet, the BET Awards is one of the most watched award shows on cable television, particularly among African-Americans. It recognizes the triumphs and successes of artists, entertainers and athletes in a variety of categories. BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc, is a global leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience, with the primary BET channel reaching more than 90 million households in the USA, Canada, the Caribbean, the UK and sub-Saharan Africa.

The full list of all the winners is as follows:

• Ultimate Icon, Music Dance Visual Award: Janet Jackson
• Humanitarian Award: Tom Joyner
• Best New Artist: Sam Smith
• Best Female Hip-Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj
• Best Male Hip-Hop Artist: Kendrick Lamar
• Best Female R&B/Pop Artist: Beyoncé
• Best Male R&B/Pop Artist: Chris Brown
• Best International Act UK: Stormzy
• Best International Act Africa: Stonebwoy
• Best Group: Rae Sremmurd
• Best Collaboration: Common & John Legend, Glory
• Best Actress: Taraji P. Henson
• Best Actor: Terrence Howard
• Youngstars Award: Mo'ne Davis
• Best Movie: Selma
• Best Gospel Artist: Lecrae
• Video of the Year: Beyoncé, 7/11
• Video Director of the Year:  Beyoncé, Ed Burke & Todd Tourso
• Sportswoman of the Year: Serena Williams
• Sportsman of the Year: Stephen Curry
• Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award: Nicki Minaj ft. Drake, Lil' Wayne & Chris Brown, Only
• Centric Award: The Weeknd, Earned It
• Fandemonium Award: Chris Brown
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Smokey Robinson