THIS year’s National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) which were held last week at the Bulawayo Rainbow hotel exposed some serious flaws that the organisers of the event, the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) must pay attention to if they are to be successful in future events.
Now in its 13th edition, the poorly organised event showed that the NACZ still have a long way to go in putting up a perfect show.
As organisers of such a national event, it is high time that the NACZ take a cue from other countries that hold award ceremonies that are characterised by glitz and glamour.
South Africa’s music awards, not to mention the Grammy and Oscars awards, are presented in a glamourous way that attracts millions in global audiences.
In Zimbabwe, NAMA is an event that celebrates artistry exhibited by artistes for a whole year in categories such as music, literature, dance, visual arts, film and television, theatre, media and the spoken word.
With a whole year of planning, one would expect to see an event spiced with the razzmatazz often accompanying arts events.
What we got in this year’s event was a chaotic show devoid of any touch of seriousness and proper planning.
It was not surprising that this year’s NAMA was a clear reflection that the NACZ did a ‘hurried job’ that left many loose ends and one may be forgiven to think that this is one of the many reasons the local arts industry does not prosper.
For starters, the choice of the venue showed a misjudgment on the part of the organisers.
Not that the Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel was not a perfect venue, but the hall was just too small for the event.
Guests crammed in a tiny hall for such a huge event that was being beamed live on national television, left a lot to be desired.
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, there is no doubt that it has bigger and spacious venues than the Rainbow Hotel.
With a dinner setup, the venue was small and this could be highlighted by how winners took time manoeuvring through the tables before reaching the stage while some guests had to stand up to pave way for them.
It is a given that for NAMA to be successful, the corporate world has to chip in with assistance, but things such as the set up of tables and stage just need organisers to be creative.
This year, some corporates helped with hampers to add on to the prizes for winners, but the packaging was poor.
Winners were given hampers in ‘common’ shopping bags.
And the hamper presented to renowned musician, Dorothy Masuka, could have been much better both in content and packaging.
Apart from the venue being tiny, the stage and lighting were dull.
Some of the presenters were not up to the task or being gripped by stage fright messed up and the sealed envelopes that were difficult to open did not help matters.
However, despite the flaws, the NACZ must be commended for luring more stakeholders, compared to the last edition.
The Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe, Zifm, Old Mutual and Government were among the sponsors.
Winners did not just get trophies, but prize money of US$500 and a hamper.
This year, Mukudzei Mukombe popularly known as ‘Jah Prayzah’ was the major highlight as he bagged four awards for the outstanding song, album, male musician and people’s choice award.
However, many people are still wondering how Olivia Charamba scooped the outstanding female artist award.
May be the NACZ should explain.