Nama needs more support

Dr Tony Monda Art Zone
The National Arts Merit Awards (Nama), acknowledges and rewards artists who have excelled themselves in their respective genres.  Zimbabwean artiste from all genres wait with bated breath at the prospect of winning an award and being honoured on a national arena. Twelve months of slog is monitored, assessed and awarded.

However what we do not consider is that every year the Nama committee together with the under-funded National Arts council must face the mammoth responsibility of staging the show annually.

That the National Arts Council can stage a 13th Nama edition is testimony to the strength of the brand and that product confidence has been built due to the perseverance of the National Arts Council’s dedicated staff and leadership.

Artists from all walks must play an integral and supporting role in maintaining and supporting the annual staging of the National Awards and ensuring the success and continuity of the event.

As a pervious monitor of the Visual Arts, stage designer and former award winner – the first time to be won by a visual arts critic and a first for The Herald, it is important that I proffer constructive developmental ideas and advice.

What do artists give back to Nama?

Influential artists need to start ploughing back into the award ceremony programme by or by staging a subsidised performance for the ceremony itself and availing their expertise on various fund raising panels.  Such reciprocal gestures would go a long way in keeping the ceremony buoyant for posterity.

The artistes themselves should launch a round of concerted campaigning to raise the profile of the brand at least nine months before the event.

It is ever artistes role to play a role in the growth of the brand of Nama for it is them who stand to benefit a lot, if it succeeds.

Eclipsing the awards this year is the current national liquidity deficit which can be overcome by building synergies and partnerships with corporate sponsors and diplomatic cultural links.

Corporate image design products such as Nama cups, T-shirts, golf shirts, posters and other corporate branded paraphernalia, can be sponsored, designed and sold to interested partners and awarded to all nominees and winners with the year clearly branded Nama 2014.

This will ensure that the Nama brand name establishes a community presence and an inclusive incentive for the runner-ups, who often leave empty handed and dejected.

Such brand-boosting paraphernalia can be sold 30 days prior to the show, to build momentum and publicity and foster audience patronage and participation.

What does Nama give back to the business community who they expect or envisage to sponsor them?

Given the show is by invitation only, some of the sponsors and consumers of the arts, I am sure would love to attend the ceremony, even if it is exclusively highly priced.

Nama organisers can create corporate exclusive front seat box office tickets to further ignite such corporate partnerships and develop corporate appreciation of the arts.

Creative and mutually beneficial partnerships can help alleviate the annual frenzied burden of funding the awards every year.

We however, need to bear in mind that serious business and corporates will only want to be associated with an innovative and impactful brand, and as such there is no room for amateurish bleeps, blunders and bungles.

Building such synergies and partnerships with partners can extend to corporate sponsors being awarded tickets to attend concerts, art exhibitions, plays and book launches, which would not only develop an interest in the arts, but would sustain that interest.

Given this writer was present during the nascent years of Nama,  I have noted that important developments have taken place in the arts, apart from the coveted designer trophy, now an iconic design which has finally been settled on, many artists have improved their quality, innovation and professional approach to the arts.

Winning artists also receive a token cash prize which although a very important incentive for excellence, is however not substantial enough to boost the artistes bourse.

That should be looked at as well by the organisers.

It must also be noted that to sustain a corporate sponsored high-profile project such as Nama requires constant self-scrutiny, professional innovation and continuous upgrading of choreography and design to pull off a unique show every year.

The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe launched the inaugural National Arts Merit Awards in February 2002.

Nama is the forum which recognises outstanding achievements within the Arts Sector.

Nama will celebrate 12 years in 2014, yet in all these years, the patrons of the arts and audiences who attend art exhibitions, musical concerts, theatrical plays and other art spectacles have not been able to buy a recorded video of the event, or even a Nama CD album.

As artistes, we need to reciprocate the munificence of our hosts the NACZ by offering some of our services, funds and expertise to boost this unique, premiere arts awards event.

Organisers of Nama must take heed of the fact that corporate public spiritedness, monetary benevolence and philanthropy in the art world is now a symbiotic relationship, or what is politely termed as “equal partnerships”.

Hence, it makes sense that established artistes give back to the sponsors through the bureaucratic channels of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe to keep the award ceremony, buoyant alive and dynamic.

It is with great concern and enthusiasm that I proffer these suggestions, albeit in my own books, rather late for 2014.

Conscientising corporate business entities about the relevance of Nama in the public media is pertinent, if the award ceremony is to be understood and appreciated.

The media is a key partner in the growth of Nama and its success or failure depends on them.

The corporate world has got a very huge role to play in supporting Nama and their financial muscle can go a long way in making Nama even much more bigger.

But for them to come on board Nama must be a big brand, proud to be associated with.

No one wants to be associated with half-baked and scandalous events.

Nama must have an enduring impact and should be the pride of each and every Zimbabwean.

If last year’s Nama in Bulawayo was an organisational triumph, this year’s must be an artistically innovative, indelible and memorable one.

This year’s event should be an event that should be the talk of the town for a long time to come.

We should show the world that Zimbabwean arts have come of age and are growing by the day. A continuity of artistic excellent must be established and nurtured perennially.

Let us keep the flame of creativity burning and support Nama in any way we can.

Let’s support Nama and see it grow into an event everyone looks for every year, its all our duty, for its success will put the Zimbabwean flag on the world arts map.

• Dr Tony Monda holds a PhD in Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA (Doctorate of Business Administration) in Post-Colonial Heritage Studies. He is a writer, musician, art critic, practicing artist and corporate image consultant.