Online Reporter
Tafadzwa Zimoyo
Zimpapers Entertainment Editor
ENTRIES for Zimbabwean creatives eyeing the National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) are now open.
And the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) has fired a warning shot at artists who may be sitting pretty, convinced that their work has already captured the adjudicators’ radar.
The message from NACZ CEO Napoleon Nyanhi is brutally simple – do not assume, submit!
Entries close on November 30, meaning artists have until then to put forward their work for consideration.
Nyanhi said creatives should not make the mistake of believing that adjudicators would somehow hunt down their work simply because they are popular or have enjoyed a successful year.
“Submit and don’t think that the adjudicators’ team can spot you. They work on what is submitted and please submit.
“Don’t assume you might be recognised,” said Nyanhi.
He also stressed the broader importance of the creative sector, arguing that the arts remain one of the most powerful ways through which a country can present itself to the world.
“The only way to be recognised as a country is through the arts,” he said.
And, that could be the reality check some creatives need.
In an industry where artists can easily convince themselves that a hit song, sold-out show, award-winning production or social media following should automatically put them on the NAMA radar, organisers are making it clear that the process still starts with the work being submitted.
No submission?
No assumption of recognition.
The warning comes as preparations for NAMA 25 gather momentum, with organisers already working on what promises to be a particularly significant edition.
This will not simply be another awards ceremony.
NAMA is celebrating 25 years, and Nyanhi said planning for the milestone edition had already started.
“Planning for NAMA has started. This edition is big because we are celebrating 25 years,” he said.
That milestone gives this edition added weight as the awards prepare to celebrate a quarter-century of recognising Zimbabwe’s creative talent.
For artists, however, the first battle is not getting onto the red carpet.
It is getting into the submission pool.
Musicians, actors, filmmakers, dancers, writers, visual artists, designers and other creatives with work they believe deserves recognition have been urged to take responsibility for putting their names and work forward.
The warning also puts an end to the perennial excuse of “but everyone knows my work!”
Apparently, knowing your work is not the same as submitting it.
And when the adjudicators eventually sit down to assess entries, reputation alone will not put a creative on the table.
The clock is therefore ticking.
November 30 is the cut-off, and those who wait until the last minute could find themselves scrambling to get their submissions in.
With the 25th anniversary edition already in planning, expectations are high for an occasion that will celebrate the history of NAMA while shining the spotlight on another generation of Zimbabwean creatives.
