The 10th and last edition of the Namibian Annual Music Awards (Namas) will take place at The Dome in Swakopmund in the Erongo Region on 2 May 2020, MTC has announced.

Announcing the event in Windhoek this week, MTC’s executive Tim Ekandjo said, “The 2nd of May is a long weekend, so we want people to come in numbers.” Furthermore, Ekandjo stated that the nominees for this year’s awards will be released to the public on 27 March 2020 at the NTN. The event would be a glitzy and glamorous affair, he said.

Entertainment Now! has noted several queries on social media, with people seeking reasons why the coast has been chosen once again to host this prestigious award. However, Ekandjo said they had tried their best to get another venue but that pitch did not materialise. 

“We have tried numerous times to host this last one in Ongwediva but that didn’t work out so we will host it at The Dome,” stated Ekandjo.

The organising team, MTC in partnership with the NBC, is going to give all the attendees a special treat at the last show of one of the biggest music events on the country’s social calendar.
“The sitting arrangement will also be different and those attending can expect a more engaging feel. This year, we are doing away with the VIP tickets, this means everyone will have a VIP 270-360-degree event experience on the night,” announced Ekandjo.

He said overall, 650 entries have been received for the 10th edition and impressively only a 101 entries saw the axe at the hands of the vetting committee. “The 101 is not a favourable number for people to be disqualified but it is an indication that artists have come to comply with entry rules,” pointed out Ekandjo.
A new category, which was added to the awards, is the artist of the decade, an honour to celebrate the last edition of the Namas.

“Artist of the decade is purely based on the artist whether male or female who has won most awards and that winner is not unanimous yet because that name might be influenced by the Namas2020 winners and we are looking forward to crowning this person and close off this project on a high note,” elaborated Ekandjo.

He also shared that phase one of the judging processes has been completed and the second phase had commenced last week. The second phase will look into nominating artists for the top six categories, which are usually not open for entry from the artists.

Having been a premier event on the Namibian calendar since 2010, the 2020 edition, will also be the departure of MTC from the project it took on 10 years ago.

The organisers promise stances bigger and better than those pulled over the years in the final edition. 
“We will be pushing boundaries this year and look forward to a spectacular close of the Namas project and celebrating our 10th anniversary,” said Ekandjo.
-psiririka@nepc.com.na