Record turnout marks 2026 Namas

THIS year’s National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) not only celebrated artistic excellence but also set a new attendance milestone. According to organisers, the 24th edition, held at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) on Saturday, registered the highest turnout in five years, attracting approximately 3 200 people.

“Last year’s Nama held at a different venue attracted a turnout of about 2 500 people. The previous year, in Bulawayo, the turnout was about 2 000. The previous Nama at HICC, turnout was around 1 500, and this year, we got to about 3 200. The HICC (with a capacity of 4 500) was not full, but we recorded a higher number,” said National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) director, Napoleon Nyanhi.

Speaking on The Ollah 7 podcast on Tuesday evening, Nyanhi said organisers set out to counter the perception that Nama was an exclusive, high pressure lifestyle event.

“I always wondered why more people weren’t attending the Namas despite having about 17 top artistes being on the line-up. After doing some research, I realised there was pressure around the event, people felt they needed $500 dresses, new shoes and hairstyles. That pressure pushed many to watch the event online instead. People want to be part of it, but the expectation scares them away,” Nyanhi said.

To shift public sentiment, Nama operations and communications director Rumbidzai Matinanga said the team increased its reliance on influencer marketing and roadshows.

“We roped in the likes of Sekuru Bitterness and Abu Dhabi. The day he (Abu Dhabi) actually went to do an activation in town, 100 people came to buy tickets on the spot,” she said.

However, she acknowledged that the culture of buying tickets online remains limited.

“We don’t have this culture yet of buying tickets in advance. But the advance sales weren’t all bad.”

This year’s edition also featured substantial investment in television production quality, a move that has been widely praised.

“The stage was designed for television production, and we invested heavily in it, including bringing in Nico Abote (local award-winning filmmaker now based abroad) as video director. We really went all out on the TV production,” Nyanhi said.

Matinanga added that staging the show required six weeks of daily rehearsals and a dedicated production team of more than 20 people.

“When planning the event, we first develop the concept and theme for NACZ’s approval. This year’s theme was Fearless Creativity. As planners, we execute the vision from NACZ and align artistes to bring the theme to life on stage. I worked as executive producer alongside Blessing Bero (technical head from

Events Evolution). We roped in Chiweddar (prominent record producer) as music director, resulting in a quality music set.”

She said the creative team took a deliberate gamble in elevating dancer and multidisciplinary creative Ndomupeishe Chipendo to the role of creative director.

“Then we took a chance on Ndomupeishe Chipendo (award-winning dancer and multidisciplinary creative), who has been involved with Nama behind the scenes for years. We brought her to the forefront as the creative director, and she did exceptionally well.

“It took six weeks of daily rehearsals, and together with Chiweddar, she carried the vision. What people saw on stage on Saturday was their hard work. Beyond the producer and music director, we had a production team of over 20 people, including a show caller, floor director and video manager. It takes a

lot of co-ordination, including inviting and confirming artistes for performances.”
This year’s show also aimed for inclusivity, featuring acts ranging from acrobats to choreographers and artistes from both Harare and Bulawayo. Two red carpets — one for VIPs and one for general attendees — were introduced. “We made sure the VIP guests and general public enjoyed the best of Nama, hence why there were two red carpets, all providing the same experience,” Matinanga said.

Despite the overall success, organisers conceded that budget constraints and last minute cancellations remained significant hurdles. “Kudos to the event directors, Scarlet Studios and Events Evolution. They provided a healthy budget, though it still fell short of our needs. We received sponsorship and support from several companies, but to achieve the quality we aim for, I appeal to sponsors to back the arts and artistes, as we pay every performer. After the show, every artiste was paid, but it’s a hefty bill, so continued support is crucial,” Matinanga said. Cancellations also disrupted the planning process.

“Some artistes initially committed, but withdrew three weeks before the event. We need people to take the Namas seriously. These are our awards as artistes and Zimbabweans. Being paid is good, but at other showcases, artistes aren’t paid. Nama is a big platform, and just being invited is an honour.”
She highlighted powerful performances from Urban Grooves stalwarts Sku, Plaxedes Wenyika, Alexio Kawara and Dino Mudondo.

“That whole crew put in a lot of work. When the hip-hop musicians were performing, I couldn’t relate, but when the old skool musicians took the stage, I started enjoying. I’d like to thank all the artistes who came through and worked hard. No amount of money can ever pay for the quality of work they did on that stage,” Matinanga said.

On the technical front, Nyanhi responded to public criticism around the winners, defending the robustness of the adjudication process.

“An adjudication panel sits down and goes through the nominations for two months. Once they decide on the three nominees and the ultimate winner, their decision is final. Never think there’s an obvious winner because the shortlisted nominees all stand a chance.”

Each of the nine categories, he said, is overseen by three judges and a NACZ board chairperson.
“Of those three judges, we look for a legend in that space with years of industry knowledge, an academic in the field, and a practitioner currently active in that space.”

On potential conflicts of interest, Nyanhi explained safeguards.

“Some judges may have submitted works for consideration, so we require them to declare. When adjudicating a category where they have an interest, they are expected to recuse themselves. Conflicts can also arise from friendships, so the onus is on the judge to declare and step aside. They sign terms of reference as part of their contracts, and if we find undeclared conflicts, we can disqualify them.”

He urged creatives not to interpret losses as personal attacks.

“If your work doesn’t make the cut, don’t assume any judge dislikes you. The shortlisting is a consensus of 28 qualified and certified adjudicators,” Nyanhi said.

On the People’s Choice Award — where content creator Ritz Mcleish was nominated alongside Winky D and Jah Prayzah — Nyanhi clarified how nominees were selected.

“An advert was put out mid-January asking people to nominate whoever they want for the People’s Choice category. It’s open to any artiste, whether they produced work during the year under scrutiny or not. This category’s nominees have nothing to do with adjudicators or NACZ staff; the Nama team watches it unfold.

“Many at NACZ, including myself, were shocked to see Ritz on the list. I’d only seen one of her videos, where she was pouring milk on herself, so I had to research her content when the nominees were unveiled.”

Nyanhi concluded by reminding artistes that Nama is ultimately their platform and encouraged them to embrace and support it.