Four years after the middle finger, Lady May returns as host

In 2011, singer Lady May won the Best House award at the NAMAs. Lady May, an energetic performer, a feisty singer and a continental star, received a standing ovation as she walked onto the stage to accept her award. But Lady May, whose real name is Martha Namundjebo, could not resist first flashing her middle finger and later saying: “Goodnight motherf*ckers”. Chaos broke out, with everyone shouting and laughing in disbelief. Omalaeti owner John Walenga tried to calm down the crowd, but his speech was drowned by the audience’s reaction when he tried to announce the next award winner. This prompted NBC Chief Albertus Aochamub and MTC spokesman Tim Ekandjo to intervene and strip Lady May of her award and N$20 000 prize money. Later, Lady May released a new jam, titled Sorry ngo, her apology to Namibia. Lady May however managed to turn it all around when she represented Namibia on Big Brother Africa later that year. She crept into the hearts of Namibians and the rest of Africa and was adored again. Since 2011, Lady May has been less raunchy, but still remains one of the fiercest performers. Yesterday, Tim Ekandjo said the 2011 ‘middle finger moment’ was gone and forgotten. “Well, that was a NAMA moment that came and went and we have all learned from it and we are proud that artists have behaved and carried themselves in a professional manner. Lady May has learned from the incident and we are confident that she will do us proud being a co-host of the event and being blessed with the responsibility,” he said. Lady May will be joined by Gazza as co-host. This is the first time that the NAMAs will be hosted by musicians. “The big surprise factor in this year’s announcement is that for the very first time in NAMA history, two Namibian artists have been selected to co-host the show with the main show host as guest host. This has become an international trend at award ceremonies where artists themselves host the show,” the organisers said in a press statement yesterday. The other host Alongside them will be Mavis Braga, a radio personality at Energy 100fm, and Ashwyn Mberi. Welcoming and interviewing the VIP guests on the blue carpet at the main awards on Saturday will be Milton Hochobeb and Pombili Shilongo, while Chops and Uejaa Kazondunge will be in the Blue Room. Paul Munanjala and Helena Ngaifiwa will be the main show hosts of the Friday night NAMA Industry Awards, which will be televised live on NBC for the first time. On the blue carpet will be Uejaa and Ruffy. Main show host Ashwyn Mberi, a voice-over artist and actor, hosted the awards ceremony last year. His co-host, Mavis Elias Braga, is a radio presenter at Energy 100fm and a Civil Engineering student at the Polytechnic of Namibia. Pombili Shilongo, who will be on the blue carpet during the Saturday night show, is most famous for presenting NBC’s ‘Whatagwan’ show. The 24-year-old is an assistant producer at the NBC. She is joined by Milton Hochobeb, a sales advisor who describes himself as a social butterfly. Although he has no television experience, Milton has done voice-over for radio. The Blue Room, where all the backstage interviews are done, will be controlled by Chops and Ueeja. Chops, who plays the lead in the movie ‘Katutura’, is a popular show host and radio presenter. Ueeja is probably the most seasoned presenter on the list. Her soothing voice, versatility and stylishness has seen the hosting of almost every major event in Namibia. In 2014 she was chosen to host the MTC & Namibia Premier League Awards which was televised live on NBC. She is a voice-over artist, radio presenter, hosted a television show, and is currently the marketing and public relations officer for Moola Mobile Games. The Friday night show will be hosted by Paul Munanjala, an R&B singer, songwriter and performer. He is also a Unicef ambassador for a project called Brothers for Life Zambia, which deals with HIV and AIDS awareness, good moral behaviour among men, gender-based violence and other vices. He is a radio and television presenter, voice-over artist, and is totally in love with music.His co-host, Helena Ngaifiwa, is a radio presenter and news anchor. Television personality Ruffy is also on the list to be on the blue carpet on the Friday night. The NAMAs take place on May 1 and 2 at the Swakopmund Indoor Sports Centre. VIP tickets cost N$500 while standard tickets go for N$250. Tickets are available at Computicket.