Zimbabwe Music Awards rescheduled for 20 February

The awards ceremony was initially planned to take place on 6 February but has been rescheduled due to new lockdown restrictions imposed by the country’s government. The organisers said they were hopeful that the public-gathering environment would be conducive to hold the awards on the new date.

We “wish to inform all music stakeholders that the ZIMA 2021 awards ceremony has been rescheduled,” ZIMAs spokesperson Benjamin Nyandoro said. “This has been necessitated by the ongoing developments around concerted efforts to curtail the further spread of COVID-19 and possibly find a lasting solution to this pandemic.

“The year 2020 tested the music sector beyond measure. Resolves to contain the spread of the vicious global pandemic necessitated the adoption of safe practices and, among others, discouraged gatherings or holding of live events. The world of music was certainly not spared. Nevertheless, music is still a way of life.”

Nyandoro said the ZIMAs had received 1 235 music submissions across 30 categories before the 31 December deadline, with the most entries coming in for the newly introduced COVID-19 Awareness Song category. The adjudication process is currently under way and the nominees will be announced on 27 January.

Last year, the awards platform made a comeback after a three-year hiatus. Dancehall singer Freeman won three awards in the Zimdancehall, Best Album of the Year and Best Music Video categories. South Africa-based amapiano singer Sha Sha was the winner of the Best International Zim Artist Award, while Ishan and Gemma Griffiths took home the Best Male Artist of the Year and Best Female Artist of the Year awards.