Since the announcement of the nominees in the Namibia Annual Music Awards (NAMAs), artists from the Zambezi region have been up in arms over what they see as a lack of inclusion.
In a letter to the media, Afro-pop and house star Topsy Kim advocated the representation of more artists from the region in the awards. “There is equally enormous talent and good music in the Zambezi region,” she wrote.
Calling the awards “imbalanced and biased”, Topsy Kim said artists in the area should not be neglected and deserve a place among the “best of the best”.
“We don’t see many Caprivians in the NAMAs,” Topsy Kim told The Weekender. “The artists in the region are doing a lot. They’re releasing albums, having many music launches… they need to be recognised.”
Fellow artist DJ Vuyo echoed Topsy Kim’s sentiments, saying that it appears the region is being cut off from the rest of the country. “People are not focusing on our music,” he said. “They must include us. Each region should have its own category in the NAMAs then.”
Categories in the NAMAs include best Afrikaans, best Damara punch, best oviritje and best soukous/kwasa, among others.
“We can evaluate when music started in the Zambezi region,” artist Jocy Kay mentioned. “The Namibian Society of Composers and Authors of Music (Nascam) used to give us forms for the NAMAs, but we don’t have a specific category. We have genres like rumba disco which are not represented. Let it be considered.”
Jocy Kay also pleaded with the NAMAs organising committee to consider Zambezi artists for live performances. “Recently, we’ve seen Matongo Family invited to perform before, but the rest are excluded from the NAMAs. We are worried. We want to select someone to, at least, be a part of the organising committee.”
Corporate affairs assistant Erasmus Nekundi shed light on the NAMAs category process. “We recognise and reward genres. We do not create categories for a specific region or tribe,” he emphasised to The Weekender.
This year, the NAMAs are presenting Zambezi artist Stoney Mubiana with a lifetime achiever’s award.
“One of Namibia’s music fathers and versatile musical architects just at the stroke of independence, the ‘Mama Wa Ka’ singer was a popular performer in the live music circuit with a rare talent at the time,” MTC said in a statement.
“Stoney, who during his time encouraged women to join the music industry, was one of the trailblazers who was determined to push Namibian music and grow the industry, which was still in its infant stage.”
The NAMAs are scheduled to take place on Saturday, 7 September, and returns to the coastal town of Swakopmund.
