‘I AM sorry,’ said musician Lady May at a press conference yesterday.
Lady May’s apology came after she caused a public outcry when she wished her audience a controversial goodnight, first by flashing her middle finger, and then saying ‘good night motherf…ers’ at Saturday night’s Namibia Music Awards (NAMAs). The awards were also broadcast live on NBC television. ‘On Saturday night during the NAMAs, I won the Best House Award. I made my acceptance speech during which I made an inappropriate gesture and uttered a totally inappropriate word. I am here to offer an apology to my family, my friends, my fans, my fellow artists, my fellow citizens, and the NAMA award sponsors,’ Lady May said yesterday. She said although she did not want to make excuses for what happened, it should be seen in the context of an ‘environment that was highly charged emotionally.’ ‘I was caught up in a moment of excitement. The lights were on and everything was so beautiful. But I did everything wrong and for that I’m taking full ownership of my actions,’ she said.She said she could have responded with positive words and not having done so constituted a critical lapse in judgement on her part.’I am very concerned about the impact of this spectacle on the young minds that were watching because I know that they look up to me and to the other artists as role models. I deeply regret that I exposed them to that side of showbiz, I failed them on Saturday night,’ she said. Speculation that Lady May might have been under the influence of substances were rife after her controversial acceptance speech. To debunk such speculations she said: ‘A character that needs to be rehabilitated is one who drinks, smokes and makes use of substances. I don’t even take Savanna Light. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke and I don’t make use of any substances. I’m completely sober.’ Meanwhile, in a letter to the media yesterday, the director general of the NBC, Albertus Aochamub, took note of Lady May’s apology and said that together with MTC, the NBC will conduct a detailed review of the apology extended and its implications. ‘We will communicate the outcome towards the end of this working week,’ reads the letter. From MTC’s side, its spokesman Tim Ekandjo yesterday maintained that ‘as far as the NAMA executive committee is concerned, our decision stands as announced on Saturday, that she will not receive her prize monies and awards and that she will not participate in any NAMA awards until we have proof that she has rehabilitated herself, or that she has been rehabilitated in terms of the behaviour she has displayed.
