Online Reporter
Mbulelo Mpofu, Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
This Saturday, the Bulawayo Arts Awards (BAAs) ceremony will transform into a celebration of resilience and remembrance, as the city’s creative heart beats for both its living legends and the vibrant spirits tragically silenced over the past two years.
The past two years have been marked by profound loss for Bulawayo’s arts community, with the death of several giants whose talent shaped the city’s creative landscape.
In a significant move, BAA organisers announced in October that five late icons would be honoured through the renaming of key awards in their memory. These are the Litshe Outstanding Dance Ensemble Award honouring Ishmael “Litshe” Muvingi; the Moyoxide Outstanding Poet Award commemorating poet and thespian Desire “Moyoxide” Moyo; the Pathisa Nyathi Outstanding Literary Work Award recognising historian and writer Pathisa Nyathi; the Babongile Sikhonjwa Outstanding Radio DJ Award celebrating the beloved radio personality Babongile “SaQobo” Sikhonjwa and the Qhube Outstanding Theatre Production Award paying tribute to arts teacher, Sihlangu “Qhube” Dlodlo.
These renamed categories will be fiercely contested this year, ensuring the legacies of these individuals live on through the recognition of new talent. Except for Dlodlo, all were former BAA winners themselves, underscoring their integral roles in shaping Bulawayo’s arts scene.
Meanwhile, BAA organisers have unveiled the Top 25 nominees for the 2025 People’s Choice Award, the only category open to public voting this year. The nominees are Black Diva, Amathonga Amahle, DJ Mzoe, Mjox, Fab G Unshanakagogo, Umnikazi Wempuphu, Mxolisi “Mr Bones” Ndlovu, Percy Soko, Godolude, Farai Mqondisi Sibanda, Siphephisiwe Kumene, Mzoe 7, Abigail Mabuza, Mbulelo Mpofu, Amaqaqa, Band of Misfits, Bhila, Amaculo Enjabulo, Ncominkosi Sibanda, Khanya Media, Kay Kid Unfanomsotho, Jaycee, Lindelani Calisto Mafu, General Lesley and IJongosi Great Stars. — @MbuleloMpofu
