By Farayi Mungoshi
FOR somebody used to the usual buzz and shuffling of many feet, with the occasional drunken shout here and there that we’d come to associate with the NAMAs over the years, one would have thought he/she was in the wrong place entering this year’s 18th edition of the NAMAs held at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) last weekend.
Gone were the unbearable boozers and noise-makers who often made the event a pain to sit through as some would shout obscenities from the auditorium and could hardly keep to their seats as they would keep on moving to-and-fro the bar or the toilet.
One could not ignore the empty seats either and the dwindled size in number of those who attended; familiar faces were missing, the Winky Ds, Jah Prayzahs and Sulus, such that one could be led into thinking that the NAMAs failed to live to expectation.
But if my understanding serves me correctly, this was the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe’s (NACZ) aim and vision after all; to give the event the kind of prestige it deserved.
And those who attended did not fail to live up to the moment either as they all came out clad in their to-die-for African attires according to the theme of the night’s event.
What other better way to celebrate our heritage and African advancement on the world stage in the arts than with such revolutionary movies like the record-breaking Black Panther coming out and Netflix on a row looking for African stories?
As I followed an usher on my way to my table I was taken in by the dinner set-up the organisers had put up.
The stage designer did a wonderful job with the huge screens advertising the NAMAs at the back, flanked by two other screens projecting the event as it took place.
With a live feed on facebook, the organisers placed themselves at the mercy of worldwide scrutiny, some of whom have a problem believing that something good can come out of Zimbabwe.
In an ever competitive world, NACZ did well in trying to outdo previous NAMA events and in achieving excellence unparalleled to other national awards.
This was Nicholas Moyo’s first NAMA as NACZ director and, with more financial support, I believe he can take the event to greater heights.
The night didn’t just belong to Enoch ‘Ex Q’ Munhenga who managed to bag two awards (Outstanding Male Musician Award and Outstanding Album, Tseu Tseu, it also belonged to one of the movies I have had the honour of reviewing here on this particular platform — Cook Off.
Cook Off bagged two awards; one for Best Director and the other for Best Actress.
Danai Gurira won the Artist in the Diaspora Special Award, beating Donel Mangena and Luckson Chikutu.
The newly introduced award (Artist in the Diaspora) is a good initiative by NACZ as it seeks to reconnect the children of Zimbabwe scattered across the globe.
However, it wasn’t all glitz and glamour at the NAMAs as it was also one of the saddest NAMAs I have ever attended.
Never before in the history of our nation have we lost so many artistes, among them iconic figures too, in just a space of one year; Dr Charles Mungoshi, Dr Oliver Mtukudzi, Dorothy Masuka and Lawrence ‘Mudhara Bhonzo’ Simbarashe, among others.
The many lives lost at the merciless onslaught of Cyclone Idai were also honoured that night with a moment’s silence observed, topped by a beautiful rendition of Dr Mtukudzi’s ‘Ndima Ndapedza’ whose words sum up these artistes’ lives and their achievements.