Suburban
All is set for the 21st edition of the National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) Saturday, February 25 2023
Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter
Organisers of the prestigious national merit awards say they will be doing things differently this time around as they aim to improve the value of the local arts awards ceremony to match international standards.
The event will be running under the theme “Unlocking Dreams,” and the Jacaranda Culture and Media Corporation (JCMC) will be hosting the ceremony. A total of 59 artists are billed to perform on the night.
Speaking at a press conference in Belgravia on Wednesday, NAMA events producer/director Napoleon Nyanhi said they have raised the bar high this time around as they are focused on getting international recognition.
“All is set for the grand NAMA 2023 awards ceremony and we are doing things differently this time around as we have taken a number of lessons especially during COVID-19. During the lockdown period we started packaging material and we have taken this through to this years’ edition, as we have been busy packaging materials for the grand event. We have a lot of work that is being done before the event. Artists have been going over and over their presentations and they are ready for Saturday,” he said.
Nyanhi said to avoid delays on the red carpet which has been the case at previous events, they have put two red carpets, one for the nominees and the other for the VIPs to allow the programme to flow smoothly.
“We are going to be having two red carpets for the event so as to minimise delays. The first red carpet will be for the nominees and the second one will be for our VIPs who will be dressed for the event. There will be a professional film crew on both the red carpets,” he said.
The NAMAs start on Friday with a reception for the nominees in Harare where they will be given certificates. Nyanhi said being a nominee is winning on its own so all the nominees will be given certificates.
On Saturday the event will start at 15:30 hours with the red carpet, which will overlap into the preshow which will see performances from Feli Nandi and Mwenji. As the people come in they will be music to entertain them. The event will officially start at 19:00hours and will run until 23:00hours.
The organisers thanked Old Mutual Limited Zimbabwe and CBZ Bank for their support.
