NAMAs moving along

Main sponsors MTC and NBC have announced that they are astounded by the overwhelming rate of participation from artists across the country that entered this year’s Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMA).

“We are excited about these awards that recognise that Namibian music has come a long way and just like the country itself is maturing into a well organised and powerful influence in the region. Local music is being recognised for its value and distinction and is being favoured in homes across the country.

These awards will celebrate that achievement,” said Tim Ekandjo, Chief Human Capital and Corporate Affairs Officer at MTC and NBC’s General Manager of Marketing Upi Karuaihe jointly. Initial vetting of the entries following the closing date on 25 February by an independent steering committee has shown challenges stemming from invalid entries.

This was largely due to some participants not having fully read the rules and regulations of the competition and as a result submitting entries that fell outside of the eligible date for entering an album or single. One of the main challenges was the absence of a national database containing artists’ album release dates, Ekandjo stated. Since its launch in February, the NAMAs have been much talked about, with new partners Hyundai, Sunsation, the John & Penny Group, MVA Fund, Alexander Forbes, Methealth Namibia, Metropolitan Life Namibia, Old Mutual, Bank Windhoek and Castle Lager increasing the overall prizes to be won as well as the prestige of the ceremony.

The process now steps into its second phase where the selected panel of judges will select the top four nominees in each of the 23 categories based on defined criteria, with creativity and entertainment value amongst other technical benchmarks. The judging panel members were selected on their broad experience and knowledge of the music genres and content and will work independently to select nominees in each category.

These will then be announced to the nation at a nomination party after which the public will be encouraged to vote for their favourite nominees via SMS and through the website. Biographies of the judges and all information pertaining to the awards can be found on a website specifically dedicated to the event, www.nama.com.na.

The judges are Clive Plaatjie, Dennis Eiseb, Diane Coetzer, Luc Fabre, Othilia Mungoba and Robin Tyson.

click to enlarge BACK FOR THE NAMAS: Sunny Boy performed at the launch party for the Namibian Annual Music Awards last month. Entries have been pouring in and it is expected that this year the competition will be fierce © Photo: Augetto Graig