The Namibia Gospel Music Awards will return this year after a seven-year break, with organisers introducing a revised judging process and renewed plans to make the event an annual fixture.
The awards, last held in 2018, were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic and financial constraints. This year’s edition, the third since the awards were established, will recognise artists across 10 categories.
Namibia Gospel Music Awards (Ngoma) chairperson Shalongo ‘Shacks’ Mwandingi says the awards had been revived through stronger planning and renewed support.
“We’ve also adopted a more structured and sustainable approach,” he says.
Mwandingi says this year’s edition would introduce changes aimed at improving credibility and increasing opportunities for emerging artists.
“This year’s awards will feature a more transparent judging process, with a voting code in place,” he says.
The organisers also hope to avoid future interruptions by strengthening the awards’ financial base.
Mwandingi says all submissions would be evaluated fairly by an independent panel.
“All entries will be judged using clear, merit-based criteria by an independent panel, giving every artist an equal opportunity to be recognised.”
Mwandingi has thanked individuals and companies that supported the return of the awards, saying sponsor announcements would be made at a later stage.
The nominee announcement is scheduled for 25 July at a hotel in Windhoek, while the main awards ceremony will take place at the University of Namibia’s School of Medicine in October.
Gospel artist Leopold ‘Dee’A’ Vatilifa has welcomed the return of the awards, saying they could help raise standards within the local industry.
“This is a good thing for gospel artists to be recognised for the work they put into their craft. It will help us push to do better,” he says.
Vatilifa says the industry has made little progress since the last awards in 2018.
“Since 2018, the Namibian gospel industry has not changed much, and even with the new artists that joined the industry, there has not been consistency with dropping new albums, music videos or singles.
“It has been a bit shaky, I guess because of how gospel artists do not get opportunities to perform at national events, corporate events and so forth. Hopefully with these awards coming up, it would help gospel artists to be recognised and to be seen by entities so they can invest in them.”
He says Namibia had no shortage of talent but artists need greater exposure.
Vatilifa urges fellow musicians to support the revived awards while encouraging the organisers to maintain high standards.
“As gospel artists, we shouldn’t give up. Let’s continue making music, let’s enter the awards, let’s support the awards and market it. These things usually start small, it’s not easy to put up an event of that magnitude, let’s take it easy on the event organisers.
“I would also like to encourage the event organisers to set a high standard for the event. They should also prioritise paying the winners’ prize money on time, as this makes the awards credible. They should work towards building the awards’ reputation so that they are nationally and internationally recognised.”
