By Kennedy Nyavaya
Euphoria, nerves and fever characterised the build-up to what turned out to be an epic 19th edition of the annual National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) last weekend.
The multi-layered show ticked boxes for bringing glam, unthinkable talent on the stage and a relatively balanced winners list.
Touted as business unusual this year, the custodians of the premier arts awards in the land, National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) , in partnership with event organisers Jacaranda Culture and Media Corporation (JCMC), evidently put lots of effort into “taking it back to the people” as the theme suggested.
For the first time in a while, post-awards conversations have been characterised by positive feedback.
There appears to be consensus among arts enthusiasts that Nama this year signalled a leap in the right direction after recent years of compromises on credibility of the show, and subsequently its value.
Even sights on the night showed that a lot of work went into putting the show together and kudos to all that were behind the scenes, but it does not end there, all stakeholders have a part to play in shaping the future.
Maintaining value for the gong The most exciting news, for artistes, after the Nama ceremony, is that all the winners this year will smile all the way to the back to collect a cool ZW$10 000 in addition to the awards.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
This puts to bed the contentious issue of value beyond the iconic golden gong that serial winners over the year had defined as a token fashioned to crowd their cabinets without the much-needed financial value. However, beyond the money, Nama organisers should build on this wave of interest they have reincarnated to strengthen the brand of the awards. Winning should go beyond giving that speech in the HICC auditorium to generate real value like attracting corporate endorsements and commanding prestige in and out of the country’s borders. They should somehow facilitate high-level synergies for the benefit of artistes and, of course, maintain the money prize giving into the future.
More sponsors should play ball It is impressive to see that there were some big corporates that supported JCMC in putting up the glitzy ceremony, and one can only hope that this will spill over beyond the night and into the creative sector.
However, the word doing rounds is that some corporates employed a wait-and-see tactic only to jump on board at the 11th hour making the preparation process precarious. This, in addition to those that threw in the towel when it mattered most, exposes the shaky relationship between business and the arts although the former has, most times, grossly benefited from the enterprises of the latter. For Nama to continue at the current standard or better more corporates should be ready to pump in the cash and resources. The benefit is mutual and a thriving arts industry can only translate into growth of business in all spheres.
How fans can chip in The 2020 story of Nama has been written conclusively and the 20th edition is coming. Quoting JCMC boss Steve Zhao who believes: “Art is the soul of the nation”, arts enthusiasts need to appreciate the value of all sorts of craft in daily life. With this in mind, they would not be so much of negative commentary or criticism for all arts stakeholders including Nama organisers. Given the right support, NACZ and JCMC have proven they can work magic so fans need to chip in.
“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”
After all has been said and done, failure or success of Nama 2021 is highly dependent on the amount of preparation the organisers put in. The mesmerising show last weekend was a product of immense groundwork on the road to the ultimate event. It is quite relieving that JCMC has promised to start preparations as early as June this year and has already opened awards entry. It all appears in place for another showstopper and we hope it all falls into place come awards season 2021.
