A new dawn for Nama: Fresh voices, bold artistry and a digital awakening

ZIMBABWE’S arts community is stirring with a familiar electricity as February 28 approaches — a quiet anticipation that always precedes the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama), that singular night when the nation pauses to honour its dreamers, its creators, and its bold voices who mould our cultural identity one brushstroke, lyric, dance step and storyline at a time.

This year’s nominees have been unveiled, and as the spotlight sharpens on Nama23 and Nama24, the Saturday Chronicle has been poring over the lists with an almost curatorial obsession, discovering within them a vivid snapshot of an industry in motion. What emerges is not merely a roster of names, but a portrait of shifting power, evolving narratives and a digital awakening swirling through the artistic veins of the nation.

Nowhere is this transformation more pronounced than in Visual Arts. Nama23 felt like an honour roll of established titans — Gareth Nyandoro, Moffat Takadiwa, Portia Zvavahera — artists whose names carry the weight of mastery. But Nama24 reveals a different melody, one rising from younger lungs. Amanda Shingirai Mushate, Confidence Zinyeka, Tinotenda Chivhinge, Claire Munjoma and Tadiwanashe Joel Mafuta take centre stage, their presence a declaration that a new generation is not waiting politely at the door but stepping boldly into the room.

And then there is Shamila Aasha, the quiet bridge between eras, whose nominations in both years feel like a hand extended from the old to the new. Curator Fadzai Veronica Muchemwa remains a steady force, a cultural compass, appearing across both lists with Outstanding Exhibition nominations. Even the themes themselves seem to shift: in Nama24, socio-political introspection and personal identity take precedence — works like “Chimoro neHukoshwa”, “Nonsense Hit Song”, and “Ndishonongoreiwo” pulse with commentary, in contrast to the more classical strokes previously favoured.

In theatre, a single production seems to echo across the nominee lists with the force of a drumbeat. Savanna Trust’s “Zi Animal Farm” dominates Nama24, its allegorical bite reflected in nominations for Cedrick Msongelwa and Elroy Takunda Musiiwa in Outstanding Actor, Tsungirirai Chenjerai in Outstanding Actress, and Outstanding Production itself. Political in tone and fearless in delivery, it demonstrates theatre’s power to hold a mirror to the nation. Fresh playwrights like Tatenda Mutyambizi (These Humans Are Sick) and Batsirai Chigama (Can We Talk?) extend the script into new emotional territories, ensuring that the stage remains a space of challenge and catharsis.

Literature, always a dependable barometer of Zimbabwe’s cultural temperature, continues to thrive. But Nama24 introduces a gentle new wind — the “Outstanding First Published Work” category. Suddenly, debuts like Ushehwedu Kufakurinani’s Hanzi Huchi Hwenduri and Entourade Usayi’s The Killer Pastor stand shoulder to shoulder with veterans. Non-fiction branches outwards into cultural heritage and critique with titles like Gonan’ombe Retsika and Kurasika MuAfurika. Children’s literature, too, refuses to be a footnote. Essential Books Publishing Company maintains its firm grasp on the category, while Nama24’s addition of a “Special Mention” section signals a deepened respect for stories that shape young imaginations.

Television serials remain the familiar comfort food of Zimbabwean entertainment. John Mabuyane’s steadfast presence — Outstanding Actor and Outstanding Screen Production (Inkaba) in Nama23, and again Outstanding Screen Production for High School Diaries in Nama24 — shows how serialised storytelling continues to anchor audiences to their screens. Music videos, meanwhile, reveal their own evolution: Nama23 leaned into high-energy, dance-centred works, while Nama24 shifts towards concept-driven, spiritual and narrative-rich pieces such as Jah Prayzah’s Kuno and Dorcas Moyo’s Nguva NdeyaMwari. Yet, in true Winky D fashion, Fake Love arrives with its sharp social pulse intact.

Dance unfolds like a long, graceful arc from performer to creator. Celine Madziva and Terrence Kapesa, once Outstanding Dancer nominees, now emerge as Outstanding Choreographer contenders in Nama24 — proof that longevity in the field breeds leadership. Tanaka Machikicho mirrors that path. Salt ‘n’ Light Dance Company and Diamond Girls continue to anchor the category with consistency, while Prince Mbisa (Amazing Prince) steps forward as an exciting new contender. It is a dance sector maturing before our eyes, evolving through its own alumni.

Comedy, meanwhile, stands firm in its rhythm. Nigel Maritinyu (Nijo the Slick Pastor) and Mbongeni Ignatious — under slightly altered billing — remain fixtures across both years, while Frank Chirisa joins the fray in Nama24. Digital content — once an outlier — is now a fully recognised universe. What was simply “Outstanding Social Media Skits” in Nama23 blossoms into a constellation of categories in Nama24: Content Creators (split by gender), Podcasts, and Skits. Here live the digital darlings: Nashe the Plug, Butterphly, African Finder, Magriza Made Me Cook, Zigo Podcast, and Comic Elder — the last of whom maintains a rare two-year consistency. Poetry, in contrast, offers a completely fresh set of nominees — Obert Dube, Sithandazile Dube, Thaluso Moyo — a reminder of the form’s capacity for renewal.

Music, perhaps the emotional cornerstone of Nama, threads together legacy and ascent. Jah Prayzah and Freeman HKD continue to tower across both years, maintaining nominations in Outstanding Male Musician and Outstanding Album. Meanwhile, Nisha Ts surges forward, graduating from Outstanding Breakthrough Musician in Nama23 to both Outstanding Female Musician and Outstanding Album in Nama24. The Outstanding Song list this year hums with range — from Jah Prayzah’s spiritual Ruzhowa to Nisha Ts’s Afro pop Admire Kadembo to Nutty O’s dancehall anthem Too Much. Joyful Praise stays the course in group categories, another nod to steady excellence.

Fashion and Digital Arts glow with newfound structure and respect. Nama24 finally hands fashion the dignity of its own fully defined categories — Outstanding Male Designer, Outstanding Female Designer, and Outstanding Contributor. Designers like Rangarirai Kenias (Raengah), Danayi Madondo (Haus of Stone), and Yolanda Ngwenya (Bakhar) now step fully into the light. The debut of Digital Arts Awards may be the single most important shift: Nama is no longer glancing at online creators; it is formally inviting them to the table.

The diaspora category widens its horizon too. Where Nama23 focused on the UK and Poland, Nama24 stretches its arms to France, Spain, the USA and South Africa, recognising Zimbabwean artistry wherever it has taken root. Promoter recognition remains stable with Ngoma Nehosho (Walter Wanyanya) maintaining a familiar presence, joined by Stratosphere Events and Odyssey Entertainment. And then comes the people’s roar — the new People’s Choice Award, inviting the public to vote for icons like Prince Chigwida, Comic Elder, Winky D, Jah Prayzah, and Ritz Mcleish. It is a landmark shift, placing power directly in the hands of audiences whose voices shape the cultural marketplace.

The story that unfolds between Nama23 and Nama24 is one of momentum, transformation and deepening maturity. A young artistic generation rises with confidence. Digital media cements its dominance. Categories are refined with purpose. Giants like Jah Prayzah and Freeman remain unshaken. Dance evolves. The diaspora expands. Thematic depth intensifies.

And now, as the arts community holds its collective breath, lovers of creativity wait to discover who will triumph when February 28 arrives — not just with applause, but with the acknowledgement that the nation’s artistic soul is alive, restless and reaching for new heights. —@MbuleloMpofu