a�?Leta��s all Boycott the Oscarsa�?

Nkululeko Nkala,

Trust me this has nothing to do with me or you. We wona��t boycott the Oscars. In fact come 28 February we should be glued to our screens watching maybe what is the biggest television and film appreciation show as far as film is concerned. That coupled with the calls for its boycott should be reason enough to be glued to the screens.

As they say any form of publicity is good publicity, I am certain many of us did not care or had no idea about the Oscars till Jada Pinket Smith and Spike Lee called for a boycott. So what or who are the Oscars?

The Academy Awards, or a�?Oscarsa�?, is an annual American awards ceremony held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognise cinematic achievements in the film industry as assessed by the Academya��s voting membership. The Academy comprises over 6 300 members. A research a few years ago found that 94 percent of Oscar voters were white. Some two percent were black and two percent were Latino (Take your time and digest that).

So the cry is, for the second year running there are no Black or people of colour nominees at the 88th Oscars. Right.

A school of reasoning would say the voting numbers say it all. An open mind will say what if the blacks are not doing well enough? Should they be awarded just to balance up numbers? Another school will say leta��s just boycott, first it was that Sparrow woman, now this? (A lot of people are just angry out there).

So is there any substance to these claims of exclusion because of colour? My answer is yes. These claims have been going on for the past three decades and there is no end in sight, though every time someone complains, there is a promise to working on the diversity of the academy. The Academy is an honour society, in which industry experience is the primary consideration to join. Hollywood history has been filled with those demographics, and The Academy is not about to kick out its current members.

Though not too similar, this problem is not Unique to America. I remember two years ago and the year before Bulawayo Artistes even wanted to create MAMAa��s which they called Matabeleland Arts Merit Awards. Only last year did we not hear the change song. During the research for this article I was especially chuffed by Ice Cubea��s comment that why should people boycott if they have not been going anyway. He went on to cite the example of NBA all-stars that you will find only two percent whites on the list but whites dona��t boycott. I mean minorities also have BET.

Should they not grow them till The Oscars realise what they are missing?

I am all for balance but we should also be realistic enough to know ita��s not going to happen overnight. I wish for my Zimbabwe that more white works are entered at Nama or Zima. I know for a fact Reps Theatre in Harare and Bulawayo Theatre host more than enough high quality productions in a year, that even a�?usa�? would enjoy.

Maybe when we change the system of applying for the awards and actually start hunting for good works will they come out in the open. With regards to the Oscars, I am lucky to have watched the black movies being advocated for. I think Will Smith deserved a nomination for Concussion. He was amazing.

The arts industry suffered two heavy losses last week and this week. One of the leading greats and inspiration to many artistes Bongani Nxumalo passed on last week in South Africa. He is well known for his role in managing a Unified Ndolwane and taking them to dizzy heights. We also lost one of the best female photographers in the country Natalie Mhone, daughter to legendary promoter and arts administrator Jomo Mhone .May their souls rest in eternal peace. Until next week, be safe