Nama 2024: New changes to categories, adjudication

The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) has announced a series of updates to the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) for the upcoming 23rd edition, aimed at enhancing the efficiency, transparency, and fairness of the country’s premier arts and culture awards.

Speaking at a recent Press conference in Harare, NACZ executive director, Napoleon Nyanhi outlined key changes that will be implemented for the 2024 Nama edition.

“As part of our commitment to excellence, we have listened to feedback from the arts sector and made several adjustments to the adjudication process and award categories,” Nyanhi said.
Among the most notable changes is the addition of seven new awards, along with the renaming of some existing categories.
The Outstanding Upcoming label will now be used in the Visual Arts and Music Awards, addressing concerns that the previous

“New” designation was misleading, as some artists may have been producing work for years before gaining recognition.
Another significant change is the introduction of the Outstanding Music Group award, which Nyanhi noted will provide much-needed recognition for music groups like choirs and duos that were previously overlooked.

Nyanhi also announced that media awards will now fall under the Special Awards category, as they were perceived to be more of an honorary accolade rather than a competitive one.

“Those who are involved in promoting art, be it promoters or bloggers who push art, must also be recognised,” Nyanhi added.
The submission process has also been updated, with CDs and DVDs no longer accepted due to technological advancements.

Artistes are now encouraged to submit their work via memory sticks or links.
Nyanhi emphasised that these changes to Nama are the result of a nationwide consultation process conducted by the NACZ board of directors in 2022, where they sought feedback from the arts sector on the effectiveness of the awards.

“This process culminated in two stakeholder meetings held in Bulawayo and Harare to specifically interrogate the Nama categories and awarding process. A lot of valuable feedback was obtained and today we present the changes that have been made to the awards as a result of these consultations,” he said.

The Nama 2024 edition will consider works of art produced from December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024, with the submission period now open.

Nyanhi encouraged Zimbabwean nationals or those with resident status to apply, either online or by visiting the NACZ offices.
In a final announcement, Nyanhi thanked Jacaranda Culture Media Corporation for their work as the event manager for the awards ceremony, noting that the upcoming edition will be their last, as NACZ begins the process of finding a new event manager. —@MbuleloMpofu