This year's Music of Black Origin awards are relocating to Liverpool after organisers were swayed by a teenager's online campaign. Announcing the venue for this year's event, Mobo founder Kanya King praised the city's "vibrant" cultural legacy. She also paid tribute to 17-year-old Ben Osu, the Toxteth-based agitator who peppered her with emails making a convincing case for his hometown.
"Liverpool was one of the main ports during the slave trade, which had a profound effect on the city's culture," Osu told the Liverpool Echo. "Added to that is the fact that the biggest band in the world, the Beatles, came from Liverpool and their music was heavily influenced by black artists." The 15th MOBO awards unfold at Liverpool's Echo arena on 20 October. The Diary hopes that Osu's tickets are in the post.
