The 2022 Ngoma Awards” – A Disgrace to NAC
Malama Katulwende writes from his studio ….
This morning I was SHOCKED to see pictures of celebrities at the 2022 Ngoma Awards ceremony in Lusaka. I said to myself: “I live in Lusaka; I’m one of the leading authors in Zambia; I’m an editor and publisher, and I missed this event. How did this happen?”
Quite frankly (before I blame the National Arts Council, or anybody else), let me confess: I don’t watch TV, and I’m generally off social media these days. My life resolves around my office ( research work, editing and writing) and home. Perhaps the organisers of the event could be excused from not having reached out to me.
On the other hand, I have asked around, and I am made to understand that this event was “suddenly” organised by the NAC and government. In January this year, nobody knew for sure whether we would have the 2022 Ngoma Awards Ceremony or not. Let me also say that over the last few years, this important national event has been on-and-off our calendar. It is, therefore, characterised by unpredictability and lack of seriousness. There are always excuses around it.
Given the circumstances as they stand, however, there are several questions which the organisers of the Ngoma Awards Ceremony should bear in mind:
1. The 2022 Ngoma Awards was done at short notice. It means the works of arts which were examined are not really representative of the best works out there. This event needs time for artists to submit their works, and adjudicators to do their judgements.
2. Do we really place value on the arts? NAC has been in existence for a long time. Over the years, I assume they have gained experience in organising the Ngoma Awards. Is there an excuse ( other than the pandemic perhaps) not to plan this thing properly and have the Ngoma Award every year? Why do we fail to plan and think ahead? By now, the Ngoma Awards should have been attracting millions of kwacha, but it does look as if we are just getting started. I know colleagues who are at the helm of NAC, but honestly speaking, failure should be admitted. IS NAC inspiring artists? I don’t think so.
3. In 2018, I published my work “Drums of War” in London. This was in June. The following year, NAC suddenly announced that there would be the Ngoma Awards ceremony and asked artists to submit their work. I wanted to take the book for adjudication, only to realise that I was disqualified. They wanted books written between August 2018 and sometime in 2019. This was how I lost out. However, as most people are aware, my books are read internationally and used in overseas universities. I raise this point to ask NAC; why do you disqualify books based on the time period in which they were published? This year, there were books written before 2021 which were disqualified on account of that period selected by NAC. I think a Zambian book, as long as it was not submitted before, should qualify to be considered. I know why NAC makes restrictions; they think they will be inundated by many books or entries. Well, if they are – so what? This should make them plan well in advance and work harder. There are International Books Awards which receive more than 5000 entries, but the organisers manage to select the best by going through every work. In the 2022 Ngoma Awards, NAC has done a lot of injustice to artists. I’m sure there were a good number of them who never heard of this event, but do have great works; should NAC hold the 2023 Awards, those artists will not be allowed to submit their creations. Thus they will miss out forever. This practice should stop immediately. It is a sign of inefficiency on the part of NAC.
Conclusion
Let me end by saying that the Ngoma Awards Ceremony is a VERY important event in the calendar of this republic. The arts play a very critical role in the social economic life of this nation. The arts provide employment, entertainment, social cohesion, cultural identity, tourism, and contribute greatly towards our GDP and knowledge economy.
The New Dawn Government is looking towards initiatives of entrepreneurship and employment creation, and the Ngoma Awards – by its very mandate – stands in tandem with this vision. So why doesn’t NAC act up? The art industry is extremely important to the economy of this nation. Wise up, NAC, and start working.