TINASHE Kitchen, the director for Jacaranda Culture Media Corporation the official hosts for the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama), has announced that prolific radio personalities Nabeelah Jogee and Charlene Mangweni-Furusa are the hosts for the 23rd Nama event, which will take place on March 1.
The venue of the event is yet to be announced.
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style, Kitchen said preparations were at an advanced stage, adding they would soon announce the results of the people’s choice awards nominations, which closed yesterday.
A Nama Press release read: “This Press release serves to notify members of the Press, the general public and relevant stakeholders that the hosts of the 23rd edition of the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) will be Nabeelah Jogee and Charlene Mangweni-Furusa.
“Nama always tries to promote diversity, growth and innovation in the arts. With our theme of #Afrofuturism, we believe that we have the opportunity to lead the charge into to the future of the arts in Zimbabwe and beyond.
“As such, we are proud to work with Jogee as our main Nama host. Jogee is a seasoned television presenter known for her work on the morning show Good Morning Zimbabwe, among many other platforms.”
The Press release added: “Supporting Jogee will be former Nama awards winner Charlene Mangweni-Furusa, who will serve as our voice-over host for the event.
“Mangweni-Furusa is a noted film actress, director and radio presenter. We are excited to see how this female duo will come together and raise the standards of Nama to the next level.
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“This will also be the first time in the history of Nama that an all-female cast will host the prestigious event. Kitchen explained that the theme #Afrofuturism and the number 23 signified a lot of things in the creative industry.”
He added that the number 23 is often associated with creativity, transformation, change and innovation.
Kitchen said as the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and Jacaranda Culture and Media Corporation prepare to host the 23rd edition of the Namas, the number is symbolic and emblematic of the evolution and growth of the Namas as the premier celebration of the arts in Zimbabwe.
“It represents a milestone of maturity and a readiness to embrace new paradigms, making it the perfect moment to introduce #Afrofuturism as the new model and a forward-looking theme for Zimbabwean arts,” Kitchen said.
“#Afrofuturism is a creative vision that fuses African culture, history and identity with futuristic concepts of innovation, technology, and progress.
“This theme is not only an artistic exploration, but also a strategic alignment with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and Vision 2030, which aim to transform Zimbabwe to an upper-middle-income economy.
“Afrofuturism provides a powerful lens through which Zimbabwean creative and cultural industries can project their stories onto the global stage.”
Added the director for Jacaranda Culture Media Corporation: “By embracing the fusion of traditional African aesthetics with modern and futuristic ideas, Zimbabwe’s artists — filmmakers, musicians, writers and designers — can innovate and create works that resonate both locally and internationally.
“This theme encourages our creatives to envision and build a future where Zimbabwean culture and identity are central to technological and artistic advancements.”
Jogee received the offer with great excitement and told the Press that: “I am beyond excited to host Nama23. I have watched the Namas for many years and I have always been amazed at the brilliance that is consistently brought to the stage, year after year. Being chosen as the main host is an amazing feeling. I love my country and now I get to be part of the platform that honours endless hours of practice, passion, tears and smiles.
“The theme blew me away immediately. The stage we set at Nama23 dictates the platform for generations to come. We won’t be here to see it, but we can rest assured that the future of the arts is safely being treasured and enhanced.
“This is a chance for us to get a glimpse of what the future brings, a place where imagination meets reality. The arts landscape is huge. We have an extraordinary amount of talent in this country. We all need to play our part in nurturing it. There are no boundaries, let’s hold hands and support its growth to even higher dimensions.”
Jogee said there was need for holistic education beyond one’s chosen art form.
“Artists need training on public speaking, finance, grooming and deportment, among other things. We want to create sustainable and generational wealth. It is afrofuturism after all,” she said.
“Thank you Nama and every single Zimbabwean for allowing me to be your host for Nama23. It will be fantastic. Get your friends together, grab your tickets and let’s have an amazing evening celebrating the success of our artists.”
