Own Africavision Song Contest 4

Own Africavision Song Contest 4, often referred to as OAfSC #4, is the 4th edition of Own Africavision Song Contest. The contest took place in Port Louis, Mauritius, following Kerser & Jean.'s win in the 3rd edition with the song "Never Seen Me Fall". It was the first time Mauritius had hosted the contest. Organised by the Own African Union of Broadcasting and host broadcaster Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation, the contest was held at the St. François Xavier Stadium, and consisted of two semi-finals and the final. The three live shows were hosted by Ornella Lafleche.

A total of forty-three countries participated in the contest. Réunion made their debut this edition. Eswatini, Madagascar, Mali, and South Sudan made their return, while Botswana, Burundi, Gabon, Guinea, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Western Sahara withdrew for various reasons.

The winner was South Africa with the song "Soldier" performed by Monark. Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe completed the podium, while Mali, South Sudan and Morocco rounded out the top six. The host nation, Mauritius placed 23rd.

Location
Further information on the host country: Mauritius

Host City
Port Louis (French: Port-Louis) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's economic, cultural and political centre, and most populous city. It is administered by the Municipal City Council of Port Louis. According to the 2012 census conducted by Statistics Mauritius, the population was 147,066.

Port Louis was already in use as a harbor in 1638. In 1736, under French government, it became the administrative center of Mauritius and a major reprovisioning halt for French ships during their passage between Asia and Europe, around the Cape of Good Hope. Since Port Louis was relatively well-protected from strong winds during cyclones by the Moka Mountain Range, Port Louis was selected to house both the main harbor and fort for the island. Value of the port continued during the British occupation of the island during the Napoleonic Wars (1800–15), and helped Britain control the Indian Ocean. However, port calls of ships fell drastically following the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Activity in the port increased during the seven-year closure of the Suez Canal (starting in 1967). Modernization of the port in the late 1970s has helped it maintain its role as the central point for all imports and exports from Mauritius. While Port Louis continues to be the business and administrative capital of Mauritius, expansion of the tourism industry in the late 1990s led to considerable development in Port Louis, with many shops, hotels, and restaurants being built in the Caudan Waterfront area

Venue
St. François Xavier Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Port Louis, Port Louis District, Mauritius. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of AS Port-Louis 2000. The stadium holds 2,500 people, and was unveiled in April, 2009.

Semi-final Allocation Draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 26 November 2020. The draw decided in which half of the respective semi-finals each country would perform, with the exact running order determined by the producers of the show at a later date. Eighteen countries participated in the first semi-final, and nineteen participated in the second semi-final. From each semi-final, ten countries joined the host in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries participated.

The forty-four semi-finalists were allocated into six pots, based on their geographical place and cultural similarities. Drawing from different pots helps in reducing the chance of so-called neighbour voting and increasing suspense in the semi-finals. Each time a country was drawn from the pot, its semi-final and half of the semi-final was determined.

The six pots were the following:

Semi-final 1
Eighteen countries participated in the first semi-final. Ghana, Lesotho, and Mauritania, also voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
Nineteen countries participated in the first semi-final. Cape Verde, Libya and Mauritius also voted in this semi-final.

Final
Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all 43 participating countries eligible to vote.

Other Countries
Eligibility for potential participation in the Own Africavision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active OAUB membership that would be able to broadcast the contest. As in every edition, an invitation to all the members has been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not.
 * Despite speculations surrounding their possible return, the broadcaster remained silent. It is expected that the country might be returning next edition.
 * The nation was forced to withdraw for failing to vote in the previous edition.
 * The broadcaster announced that the Head of Delegation had resigned and therefore the country would be withdrawing.
 * There was no official statement as to their future in the contest.
 * There was no official statement as to their future in the contest.
 * The broadcaster announced that the country would not be present again due to a lack of funding and that a return in the future is uncertain.
 * There was no official statement as to their future in the contest.
 * It was confirmed that the broadcaster had not signed up to compete in this edition.
 * After an unpleasant result in #03 the country decided to take a break for 1 edition. A return in next edition is likely.
 * There was no official statement as to their future in the contest.
 * The broadcaster announced that they are taking a one-edition break. They are expecting to return next edition.
 * Despite them finishing second last edition, there was no statement from them until 5 hours after the confirmation deadline. As such, the OAUB gave their automatic-qualifying spot to the seventh place last edition, Lesotho.
 * The broadcaster announced that the Head of Delegation had resigned and therefore the country would be withdrawing.