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Langalakhe Mabena
A cloud of disappointment has descended over Bulawayo’s vibrant arts scene following the unexpected cancellation of the prestigious Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards (RoilBAA) with artistes expressing their dismay at the decision made by the awards trust.
The annual RoilBAA has been a cornerstone of Bulawayo’s cultural landscape, recognising and celebrating the city’s rich artistic talent.
The cancellation of this year’s event has left a void in the local arts community, depriving artistes of a platform to showcase their work, network with peers and receive much-needed recognition.
“The Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards Trust wishes to inform all artistes, partners, stakeholders and supporters of the postponement of the eighth edition of the Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards. This decision was not made lightly, as we carefully considered various factors that contribute to the awards’ stature and success,” said BAA organisers in a statement.
Given the current economic challenges facing all industries in the country, the postponement of the awards can be understood. A number of sponsors, including the main sponsor, Roil cooking oil, withdrew their financial support for the glamorous event, making it difficult to proceed with the awards as planned.
However, apart from the economic challenges, the BAA organisers further stated, “While we recognise and appreciate the exceptional quality of work produced by many artistes over the past calendar year, we also noted a limited representation across certain genres.”
This statement did not sit well with local creatives.
In separate interviews with B-Metro, a number of creatives expressed disappointment over the cancellation of the awards, while some sympathised with the organisers, understanding that the move was influenced by the current economic climate.
Some artistes have taken to social media to express their disappointment and frustration. Many have questioned the reasons behind the cancellation and called for transparency from the awards trust.
Msiz’Kay, who boasts several BAA accolades, said creatives put in a lot of work this year, contrary to what the statement suggests.
“I was disappointed to learn about the cancellation of the RoilBAA this year. I believe that I and other Bulawayo creatives have become accustomed to being honoured by these prestigious awards, and it’s sad that the awards will not be happening this year.
“In my opinion, Bulawayo artistes put out a lot of amazing work this year, but I also believe that it is the RoilBAA organisers’ prerogative to judge the quality and quantity of works in their own way,” said Msiz’Kay, who was awarded a housing stand after being voted for People’s Choice in 2022.
Theatre was undoubtedly vibrant this year, with sold-out events at the Bulawayo Theatre and other venues being a testament to the hard work and effort put in by local artistes.
As such, playwright, Thabani Hillary (TH) Moyo said artistes put a lot of effort into theatre this year, and it must be understood that the cancellation of the awards was mainly due to a lack of sponsorship.
“RoilBAA has become one of Bulawayo’s premier events with every artiste looking forward to it. Now that this year’s event has been shelved, it’s a setback and disappointment. We pray and hope that when it happens next year (2025) as promised, it will be better.
“Personally, regarding the statement that artistes didn’t produce quality work, I feel like that was a filler phrase. I didn’t even want to focus much on that sentence as it seemed meaningless. We all know that the biggest sponsor is not there for the awards this year, and that presented a challenge for the organisers.
“The truth is that, like any other arts organisation, RoilBAA faces challenges when it comes to hosting the event this year. Remember, no call for submissions was made this year. So, we cannot talk of low quality when no works of art were assessed. It was a reckless statement on the part of the RoilBAA board members,” said Moyo.
Outspoken Afro-Pop artiste Bhila, said the cancellation of the awards was worrying because it’s a reflection of the art sector in Bulawayo.
“I believe we have never done enough as Bulawayo creatives when it comes to consistency and quality. Collectively, we are way behind, but there is room for improvement, as evidenced by a few quality works that have been produced recently in the city.
“So, to me, it’s not a surprise (for the awards to be postponed) even though I know that the organisers themselves have the pressure of maintaining the standard of the awards, and that comes at a cost, as you need proper funding.
“On the other hand, it could be a big disappointment to a few artistes who had an amazing run this year, such as Calvin Mangena, Ma9, Noluntu J, K Brizzy, Boy Nino, Jeys Marabini, to mention a few.
“Whenever you do well, you would surely love to be recognised and if such doesn’t happen due to the cancellation of awards, it has a boring effect, obviously to some extent,” said Bhila.
Mzoe 7 said the cancellation of the awards is not only a disappointment but has also affected many creatives who were looking forward to benefitting from the event, such as fashion designers.
“I understand every entity is going through different phases, but I know a lot of people who complement the sector, like designers and makeup artists, who were already preparing for the awards and might have been affected.
On the other hand, I feel like creatives did well this year. There was great improvement in TV productions and music,” said Mzoe 7.
Outspoken poet and writer Philani Amadeus Nyoni (PAN), said the postponement of the awards is very unfortunate, considering what the awards have come to mean to Bulawayo artistes and the community.
He described the press release blaming creatives for not producing quality work as “fetid oral flatuance,” (a creative and somewhat vulgar expression used to convey strong disapproval or disgust) questioning how they could comment on the quality of work when they hadn’t even put out a call for submissions.
The BAA are expected to come back stronger next year.
“To ensure a comprehensive selection of works, we have decided to reschedule the awards to Heroes Holiday in August 2025. In addition to celebrating arts excellence, the awards will run with the sub-theme ‘Celebrating Our Heroes’ for the 8th edition,” the organisers said.
Online Reporter