Zim: NAMAs under fire for Winky D, Jah Prayzah ‘snub’

The comments section of a Facebook post by local online media outlet earGROUND announcing the nominees is indicating that many music fans are unhappy that Winky D and Jah Prayzah, who are arguably the two biggest names in Zimbabwean music, have not made an appearance in the publicly selected category.

“We all know that Winky D is the ultimate winner kunyangwe musina kumuisa ipapo [even though you didn’t include him],” local creative Master Pablo Nakappa commented.

A music fan, Tapiwa Carlton Kapisa, wrote: “Inoita people’s choice sei ivo vangodzimikira vanhu vatisina kushara [what makes these nominees ‘People’s Choice’ when they parade people we didn’t nominate?] We know the people’s choice and he’s not on that picture parade.”

Nigel Peperere wrote: “Where is Winky D? It does not make sense to say vote for your favourite nominees vachiziva havo kuti vane manominees avo kare, dai vakangogara vatipa list ravo kare kwete kutishandisa [yet they already have their nominees. It would have been better if they had given us their nominees instead of using us].”

According to the NAMAs’ rules and regulations, works published between 1 December 2021 and 30 November 2022 were eligible for consideration in the current nomination process. But the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe’s communications and marketing manager, Rodney Ruwende, told Music In Africa that the People’s Choice Award was exempt from this rule and that the public could select any artist even if that artist had not released music in the aforementioned time frame.

Music critics weigh in

Following the fervent discussion on earGROUND, Music In Africa spoke to local music critics, journalists and creatives to find out what they thought about the ongoing debate, with Star FM’s head of production and music, Hardin Gurupira, saying the topic is emblematic of Zimbabweans’ perception that awards platforms are only about big artists. He added that such discussions were driven by emotions and lacked objectivity.

But Zimdancehall blogger Blessing Jena argues that political interests, as described in this Music In Africa opinion article, are meddling with the NAMAs and its nomination processes. “It’s clear there is some political influences in these awards already. The People’s Choice Award is supposed to be people-driven. Winky D and Jah Prayzah have so much influence on the masses that they are top favourites. This is another chance to scrutinise the NAMAs’ integrity,” he said.

The awards platform has been no stranger to criticism in the past, most notably in 2015 when fans questioned why a Sulumani Chimbetu album had received a top-category nomination even though it was released three years earlier. The NAMAs are also using an SMS line and social media to collect votes – a practice that has raised questions over transparency and legitimacy.

Yet ethnomusicologist Tinashe Mutero and journalist Monica Cheru believe that the two artists’ failure to appear in the People’s Choice Award category is based on reasons other than a corrupted or biased awards scheme.

“Politics aside, the list is fair,” Mutero said. “Winky D made noise just on the release of his album [Eureka Eureka released on 31 December]. Likewise, Jah Prayzah had a lukewarm year. But you cannot say the same for Dorcas Moyo, Alick Macheso, Mark Ngwaazi and Freeman. They owned the year. Radio charts and frequency of bookings suggest the same.”

Cheru asked: “Did people nominate Jah Prayzah and Winky D in the first place? This is the problem seen with those who push opinion without action. I think NAMAs’ organisers can do away with such controversy in future editions by going digital and allowing the nominations and votes for this award to be tracked virtually in real time.”

Despite these views, it seems inconceivable that influential artists like Winky D and Jah Prayzah would not make the cut, especially if the People’s Choice Award welcomes nominations for any artist regardless of when last they released music.

Joe Machingura, a music producer based in South Africa, believes that the two artists’ brands are too big for this to happen. “Winky D and Jah Prayzah will always be and remain the people’s choices, whether they have done well that particular year or not,” he said.

Music critic Marshall Shonhai also believes that there’s something suspicious about the exclusion of the two superstars. “I understand Zimbabweans,” Shonhai said. “Winky D and Jah Prayzah are the most popular artists in the country, so their fans would definitely expect them to be part of their list. On Winky D in particular, that outcry is not musical at all, it’s a political outcry. Winky D has become a symbol of non-violent civil disobedience for many; whether imagined or real is a story for another day.”

Award-winning journalist and author Robert Mukondiwa said: “They may choose to exclude Winky D for their own reasons and it’s up to them at the end of the day. However, an awards ceremony without Winky D at the moment is like a cathedral without God. It’s not a church, it’s just a large building.”

Although the NAMAs enjoy support from the Zimbabwean government, Mukondiwa described the ceremony as old fashioned and urged the event organisers to take inspiration from more modern awards platforms. “The NAMAs in many ways are not fit for purpose anymore and archaic in how they restricts art. They should introspect and change. Awards like the Bulawayo Arts Awards and some regional awards came and became more diverse and representative of arts in a broader sense. The NAMAs would do well to self-assess and grow. Diversity is key,” Mukondiwa said.