Etsee the NAMAs are back mense! Yoh, but I will not lie, I was very sad at rumours of the possibility of the awards not taking place this year.
Sad because the ripple effect of not having the biggest music platform in the country would have been disastrous. You can say whatever you want about the Namibia Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) but the showpiece provides opportunities for almost every industry in the country. From hospitality to transport and finally to arts, it is an incredible economic platform! The NAMAs need to be protected and its longevity secured.
Mobile giant MTC and the national broadcaster, NBC have assured us of another three years of the life-changing event. Which is great but three years is not enough! We need a ten to 20 years’ assurance but that assurance can only be the case if the corporate world steps up! MTC and NBC have carried this event for eight years running. Until when are we going to rely on these two organisations to carry the brunt of forking out millions? Earlier last year during my acceptance speech of winning the Favourite Actor category at the Simply You Lifestyle and Magazine Awards, I called out South African multinationals that make millions from branches around the country in one day to step up!
Who supports these South African multinationals? It’s me and you! We both do not want to see the NAMAs disappear after three years right. So why don’t we hold South African multinationals accountable? Starting TODAY!!
The NAMAs have created careers and have helped hosting towns profit from the showpiece. It has created direct and indirect jobs for hundreds over the past years. If we don’t stand up today as people who directly and indirectly benefit from this incredible showpiece and hold these companies, specifically South African multinationals to account, this event will fall off the grid in three years’ time leaving the whole arts and entertainment industry and fellow stake holding industries in utter destitute!
You might dismiss my plea today as fear mongering but truth is, the NAMAs are an incredible platform that deserves the buy in from every prosperity-loving Namibian and should be worth fighting for!
I love me some NAMAs and I know you do too! So show these South African multinationals that you love yourself some NAMAs and get them involved with the showpiece. Get them to invest if not take ownership and secure the event’s status for the next ten to 15 years!
In three years’ time, MTC and NBC would have done it for 11 years, so someone put your money where your mouth is and equal, if not do, more than what MTC and NBC have done with one event for the country!
Until the next loop, we say “GMTM”!
NSK is a professional MC. For bookings, email naobebsekind@gmail.com
@naobebsekind (twitter)