This is another blog that is a week or two weeks late. The events
I am discussing here happened nearly two weeks ago. Well, it could be that I
never intended to write anything regarding awards. In any case, the only business
I could have considered discussing in relation to awards was the mass wedding
at the Grammy awards. That shocked and surprised me. Then, when my mind switched
off from any matters regarding musical awards, we had the Zambia Music Awards
(ZMA). What a spectacle!
The aftermath of the ZMA however has been dramatic with some
musicians rubbishing the awards, while others have claimed they make the
amounts won at those awards from a single weekend gig thus branding the money
awarded alongside the plaque as pocket change. The biggest farce in the
aftermath of the ZMA has been the crusade that seeks to see National Arts
Council (NAC) chairperson Mulenga Kapwepwe step down from her position. All
this has happened in the aftermath of a very successfully hosted awards show. It
seems drama never ends around here.
One of the things I try to avoid in my blogs is being overly critical
of other people. I always feel critics are those that just look for faults in
things that others have done but cannot do themselves. There are times though
that I can’t stop myself from being a critic myself as I always seek to lay
bare my opinions. In bringing out my opinions, I may sound like a critic at
times. Case in point was when I discussed Zambian local TV content after
spending one weekend at home changing from one local channel to the next but the
programming all seemed mediocre and at times not fit for 21st century
TV.
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After notable flaws in the 1st ZMA awards held in 2013,
the organisers made massive improvements and gave us a show/ceremony that was
almost perfect save for a few hitches like when they paid tribute to musicians
who died during the year but didn’t show pictures, and then there was the odd
microphone glitch. The rest of the show was flawless. This was so much in
contrast to what we have seen happen in Zambia when it comes to musical awards.
The ZMA organizers gave us an almost perfect awards show because they involved other
people with the expertise on how to organize an awards show and produce it for
TV. It was so flawless, such that immediately I was done watching I decided to
play the recorded show of the Grammy’s that had been held a few weeks earlier.
I had to watch the Grammy’s just then in order to do a comparison, and if you
are not well vested in issues of musical awards ceremonies, the Grammy’s is as
good as it gets. The ZMA’s duly passed the test.
This time around there was no government representative to give a
lengthy speech. Speeches were given at a pre awards show that was held days
earlier and some other categories awarded there and then. Again it was in great
contrast to last year’s show where they tried to put the government
representative speech at the end and by that time most people were just walking
out or showing a lack of interest in the speech. Before this year, Zambian
awards ceremonies would have a speech to open the show and many a time boos would
be heard.
Time keeping was also something that this year’s ZMA got right. It
was on point, as the awards show ended at exactly 22:00hrs the same time they
had been scheduled to end. Compare that to the Ready for marriage finale which
was scheduled to start at 18:00hrs and end at 20:00 only really kicking into
gear after 21:00hrs and by midnight the show was still on. In my view, the
organisers of the ZMA, did not try to be Jacks of all trades. The ZMA
organisers used experts where they needed. With TV one can never work alone. In
avoiding the mistakes many before them made, they gave us a great product.
However, it seems in some circles the fact that the ZMA organisers
used foreign experts to produce the awards show did not go down too well. The
day that followed the awards show, MUVI TV ran a news story which suggested
that Zambian’s were not happy that foreign labour was used amidst high
unemployment in the country. The report suggested that all personnel involved
in the production of the awards show were South Africans.
Personally I have no problem when someone who has the experience
and technical know-how that I don’t have, takes my job. What I have said many a
time is that there is no need for a Zambian company simply because it is
foreign owned to employ a foreign accountant, marketing executive etc when this
country has plenty of graduates in those fields. In the same vein why should a
graduate engineer from China come and supervise experienced Zambian Engineers
to make a road in Zambia?
The case of the South African event management company that was
used to produce the 2014 ZMA awards is different. There isn't any indigenous
event management company in Zambia that has successfully hosted such an awards
ceremony. MUVI TV the media that aired the story gave its viewers a very
mediocre produced Ready for Marriage show. In this case the best is to learn and
empower the locals so that we do not perpetually get foreign personnel.
The truth is such events need big and experienced teams to manage.
To start with you need awards Scriptwriters, Scenic/Stage Designers and
Editors. In addition, Coordinators, Producers, Project Management team, stage
management team, lighting designers, sound designers and video production team
will all be needed. Having a team is one thing but having the right equipment
is yet another challenge that I believe not many Zambian event management
companies would have pulled off easily. Most events will need a Teleprompter, Audience
Response Systems, Webcasting (live and archival), Simultaneous Interpretation, Show
Programming and Control (Watchout/Spyder/Encore) etc.
In saying all this, I am not suggesting that Zambians cannot do
this by themselves. With time, training and experience it will be possible. In
any way event management is not rocket science. We can’t be in a situation where
we hire foreigners to do it for us. It is my hope that we sure did learn a
thing or two so that in the near future we can be capable of producing the
awards show with great aplomb.
One other thing that had critics pouring scorn at the ZMA awards
was the award winners. A large section of Zambians queried the validity of some
of the awards winners. Maybe we are just a nation of critics who will find something to criticize out of everything. Well, there will never be an awards
show anywhere in the world when everyone will be agreeable to the entire list
of winners. The fact that someone has been nominated makes them potential
winner and when they win why should we not agree with it. In fact the ZMA
winners are decided by fan votes. If one artist has coaxed more of his fans to
vote for him then so be it.
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The ZMA were really a wonderfully hosted show. Mind you I am
saying all this in the backdrop of having watched the MTV EMA, Channel
O Music Video Awards, MTV AMA, Grammy Awards, Oscars
and most recently the Multichoice Nigeria organized Africa Magic Viewer Choice Awards
(AMVCA).
I therefore see no reason really in the aftermath of such a
successful awards show why anyone should call for Mulenga Kapwewe’s head.
Unless I am given more reasons other than her role in organizing the ZMA
awards. The only reasons I've heard so far have all pointed to the ZMA awards. I
know for sure she has over stayed. As long as it is an elective position one
must not occupy a position for 14 years without being subjected to an election.
The exception would be if, the position is created by presidential appointment
and in that period successive appointing authorities have seen no reason for
change.
Drama doesn't end at NAC though. If you thought there was drama at
NAC go to the August house called parliament where the MP’s have been staging
walk outs and when they don’t walk out, they shout “CONSTITUTION! CONSTITUTION!,” all day making parliamentary business impractical.
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