The Namibian Annual Music Awards are, without a doubt, the most highly anticipated entertainment event on the Namibian calendar.
Fodder for Twitter trolls, bar talk and for entire supplements patched together by the press, when it comes to community engagement, hype-mongering and gluing people to their TV screens, there is no argument against the fact that the NAMAs have utterly and irrevocably revolutionised the local entertainment landscape.
Through the presentation of an annual show that not only celebrates local artists but also asks the public to appraise the quality of their entertainers, radio personalities, music writers and music video directors, the NAMAs have given people in the music industry something to aspire to, something to get up and work towards when they think this is a fine year to flake on releasing an album and a little something to light a fire under their arses when they’re seriously considering that backtrack life.
After all, who can languish in lip-synching when there is money up for grabs for Best Live Performance? Who’s going to produce wack artists on wack beats when the Best Producer accolade can pay three months rent and who, pray tell, won’t ….err…do a whole lot of disciplined things to win Most Disciplined Artist?
Growing from strength to strength, besides a little detour into disaster in 2013, MTC’s annual entertainment extravaganza has become the sun all local artists and albums orbit around and this year it seems the hype was bigger, the trolls were hungrier and the wannabes were even more brazen than ever before.
Now in its second year of comparatively boring everybody to tears, the industry awards show took place on 1 May.
Honouring those who have contributed in the spheres of music writing, live performance, staging, social responsibility, DJ’ing and production, the industry awards kicked it up a notch from a dismal inaugural event in 2014 to a smooth, well-paced awards show courtesy of co-host Paul da Prince who oozed charm while his equally amiable co-host Helena Ngaifiwa thanked Virgin Hair Boutique for her weave.
Scaled down and with two happy hosts expertly steering the ship, the industry awards went forward a little delayed but with very few technical glitches while the audience enjoyed performances by Black Sheep, Arrafath and NIA.
Audiences were also treated to a medley of music from Lord knows where and surrounds while tweeps took to the Twitter and real life streets to lament the foreign background music. Well… this and entertainment journalist of the year. If we’re being honest. And astonished.
As for the main event, it started with a bit of whimper. Boasting a bothersome blue carpet mired in ‘many mores’ and assorted VIPs trained in the art of loitering and ruining real celebrity pictures, the photo opportunity was less sterling than snafu as the press were told to shut down entirely due to crowded carpet.
Though it’s nice to sell ordinary Very Important People dreams, the NAMAs are about the entertainers. To be clear, having a separate and equally exciting entrance for VIPS who prompt zero facial recognition instead of having stars slink by the mess and miss the press may be something to consider.
A self-proclaimed rule of thumb here is one I gave to a rival photographer standing by my side and frantically nagging me about someone impeccable but irrelevant’s name: “Honey, you’re the press at an entertainment awards show. If you don’t know their name, they aren’t in the game.”
As for the show itself? On the whole, erratic.
Oscillating between stellar performances from showstoppers like Female Donkey, Bullet ya Kaoko, Nianell, Riana Nel, Gazza, Black Vulcanite and Savannah Afros, Lize Ehlers and Twazis before sinking into snoozefests like D-Naff and Tequila, Donsy and Daisy and oh, wow, Lonette, the show certainly had its performance ups and downs. Not the least of which was a thrilling descent from sky by Oteya which was far more enthralling than her actual presentation and just a tad more exciting than LeSean’s stint as Kanye Windhoekwest.
Praised for its inclusion of vibe enhancing back up dancers, the main event was choreographed by a Haymich Olivier, Tuli Shityuwete and South African choreographer Willie Venter who added some onstage oomph but who could do much more about surprising us. That’s to say, a little less match the kwaito moves to the kwaito music and much more Swan lake set to Twazis ‘Digaga’. Or… Something.
Still, the energy was high, the dancers were on point and the lights, audiovisuals and staging was grand thanks to DB Audio and Rockstar4000 but add uncharacteristically dodgy sound from DB Audio to the mix and you have an audience prone to just sitting there and staring.
This may also have had a little to do with the fact that freezing one’s butt off in an arctic venue isn’t exactly a prelude to enthusiastic applause.
However, thrilling in the thawing were NAMAs hosts Mavis Braga and returnee Ashwyn Mberi.
Almost flawless, friendly and effortlessly articulate, this year MTC hit the right host note, though they could have made much more use of the ever garrulous Gazza and lively Lady May who opened the main show with a bang after a fleeting false start. Uejaa and Chops in the blue room were as easy on the eyes and ears as ever but, I’ll admit, I didn’t get to see any of the NBC broadcasted blue carpet. Sorry, Pombili, Ruffy and Milton. Or thankfully…?
Stopping by the sartorial, the NAMAs support of local fashion designers is also of note as MTC afforded Melisa Poulton, Loux the Vintage Guru, Nicoleen Menjono and Keri Mootu the honour of dressing the hosts. Working within the theme of ‘African with a touch glam’, local designers got to show precisely why they are a couture cut above the rest in gowns and lapels inspired by the motherland.
Another excellent addition to the show was the live stream which saw 17 000 viewers tuning in over the internet from as far as Asia and America. The World Wide Web was additionally put to use by the participatory public many of whom chimed in via Twitter to weigh in on the fashion, the performances and the show’s production values.
Inclusive, a little erratic though certainly inspiring and ascending, this year the NAMAs cemented its status as a world class event bent on improvement each and every time it asks society to enter, attend and ultimately appraise Namibia’s biggest and most budding night in entertainment.
