ZIMA, ZIMA, ZIMA . . .?
How many times have I called you, and when will you learn
or listen?
For those in the dark, ZIMA stands for Zimbabwe Music
Awards.
A lot still needs to be done to ensure ZIMA’s awards
ceremony sails through perfectly.
Many thought that the past two years affected by Covid-19
could have saved as a blessing in disguise where ZIMA organisers could have
taken advantage to learn from their past mistakes.
They had the resources, but the biggest challenge was
disorganisation.
As suggested previously,
when we want to equate the ZIMA with international standards, its
equivalent would be the Grammys focusing
on music, while the National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) is the equivalent of the
Oscars.
Believe you me, this year’s edition of ZIMA somehow proved
to be the worst of them all. It was chaotic from the start of the show.
We will not dwell much on the time management as being late
appears to have become part of their
DNA.
According to the organisers and flyers circulated as part
of marketing strategy, the show was
scheduled to start at 6pm sharp and some guests had already arrived by that
time, but boom, microphones and cameras were still off.
Besides, they had three presenters on the red carpet
sharing a single microphone.
But still, the red carpet was on fire as those who love
fashion had a fair share to showcase their designer outfits.
Kudos to some of our local designers for their efforts.
Then the show started two hours late!
They started with presenting an award for best upcoming
artiste, and then came the national anthem and opening prayer, a move many
thought was a reverse.
The national anthem and the opening prayer could have
started before any business of the day. The hosts for the night were Phatisani
Sibanda and KVG, who flawlessly sailed through during their presentation, but
somehow you could see the confusion on their faces each time they came on
stage.
Did they have a script or it was an impromptu “high
school-variety show” set up?
At one time for some minutes, the stage was just silent and
guests were left wondering if the presenters had forgotten that there were
people in the big, dark auditorium.
Another glitch was that the nomination list voice over did
not tally with the names of the winners.
Some were called out as winners, yet they were not on the
voice over projection and it surprised some guests who even queried if this was
fair. ZIMA also brought surprise winners, something they can be accredited for
as what the crowd wanted was not the result.
ZIMA brought the concept of fine dining at the awards show,
yes, a first in the history of awards hosting in the country, but challenges
emerged when guests started concentrating on the food and chatting rather than
what was on the stage.
ZIMA chose to have guests invited and not paying for the
show, but somehow it ended up as if they had invited the whole arts sector.
They could not all be accommodated on the tables, with some
of them having to spend the evening standing.
Maybe, ZIMA will have a bigger venue next year. But there
are some issues that ZIMA got right. Kudos to the performances. They had a
balanced line-up from all genres, which was very entertaining.
The stage and lightning were excellent, while the ushering
system was on point, and the models were well-groomed.
The speeches from sponsors and organisers on screen were
professional, short and precise, while the graphics were top notch.
But, is it not time that those in the arts sector sit down
and draft a common calender of events?
It is troubling to imagine that the NAMAs are on next week,
just a few days from ZIMA.
How will the sponsors find time to adjust, and how will
artists and guests prepare in such a short time between the biggest awards
ceremonies in the arts sector?
The end result, just like what we saw at ZIMA is that some
nominees and winners will be absent because they also need time to hold their
own shows, especially having lost time to attend ZIMA. Hopefully, with all the
criticism from social media, fans, writers and authorities, it is time for the
organisers of these awards to go back to the drawing board and start proper
planning.
Below is the list of winners at ZIMA:
Song Of The Year — Nutty O — Handiperi Power
Best Female Artist — Dj Zandimaz
Best Male Artist — Nutty O
Best International Zimbabwean Artist — DJ Zandimaz
Best Collaboration — Roki ft Koffi Olomide and Ray Vanny —
Patati Patati
Videographer of the Year — San Pedro
Best Music Video — Freeman Hkd — Pombi
Producer of The Year — Dj Tamuka
Best Alternative — Mbeu
Best Traditional (Ezomdabu/ Imbube) — Amaqaqa
Best Traditional (Chinyakare/Chimurenga) — Andy Muridzo
Best Tshibilika — Insimbi Zezhwane
Best Dance (House/Gqom/Kwaito/Edm) — DJ Zandimazi
Best Rnb & Soul — Nyasha David
Best Traditional Gospel — Dorcas Moyo
Best Contemporary Gospel — Everton Mlalazi
Best Hip-Hop — R Peels
Best Afropop — ExQ
Best Sungura — D T Bio Mudimba
Best Zim Dancehall — Freeman HKD Best Album — Nutty O —
Mustard Seed
Best New Comer — Shashl
Best Group/ Duo — Breeze Music
Best Jazz — Aggabu Nyabinde
Lifetime Achievement — Mono Mukundu
Herald
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