Paheja Siririka

WINDHOEK - The Simply You Magazine and Lifestyle and Fashion Awards recently held auditions to scout for talented Namibians to host the auspicious honours but to the judges’ disappointment people did not come to the auditions with a professional attitude. 

“People came to the auditions unprepared,” said Uejaa Kazondunge, one of the judges at the tryouts. 
Kazondunge stressed that interested and potential hosts should at least watch YouTube videos to see how hosting is done before coming for auditions. “Some people come to auditions to imitate other presenters and as a spectator you can easily pick up who they are trying to sound like,” she said. 

She further said there seems to be a constant lack of seriousness by applicants. “It’s like going into an interview room without being prepared; some couldn’t even say the whole name of the awards correctly and this is important information that a potential host must know,” she stressed.

In terms of edginess, Kazondunge concurred with the usual norm – “it’s inevitable”. “I have hosted shows and I always get nervous whenever I am on stage and that’s normal but you have to compose yourself. Those who auditioned were only with the cameraman and the director; we were in production so they couldn’t see us. They didn’t know we were in production watching them on the screen,” she revealed. 

Kazondunge said this might be one of the reasons why event or show organisers opt to work with old presenters or hosts, as they show more seriousness and professionalism, and that needs to change. 
More than 50 applications were received from interested hosts last week with more male presenters turning out for the auditions than females, Kazondunge informed Entertainment Now!. 

“We need to start with the training of the presenters as soon as possible, so the selection has to happen,” she stated, adding: “We did get potentials and we will call some back.” 

Kazonduge advised that a potential host should be authentic. “How can you host a show that wants to promote African authenticity if you are not being authentic?” she asked. 

The founder of the awards, Helena Ngaifiwa, revealed that they were searching for three presenters. “One for the main stage and two for the red carpet,” said Ngaifiwa. 

They are also looking for more talent to oversee the event. “We want to expose Namibians to the rest of the world when it comes to showbiz. We want to give the platform to people to showcase what they have to offer,” she said. 

There was no preference as to the gender, colour or creed of the potential host; the platform was open to everyone. The team was ideally looking for fresh raw talent, the organising team revealed. 

The organising team informed Entertainment Now! that they were not gender-specific, as far as presenting is concerned. “We haven’t decided on whether it’s two women and one man, it might happen that the talent we get will comprise three men or three women, or a mixture of both – only time will tell,” she commented. 
The show is all about rewarding Namibian personalities for the role they play in the entertainment industry.
The Simply You Magazine and Fashion Lifestyle Awards have partnered with the Namibian Broadcasting Cooperation (NBC) and they promised that the awards would be bigger and better.

The awards are set for August 10 at the Nampower Convention Center and the theme is “African Royalty”.