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The Zambia Association of Musicians (ZAM) has called for professionalism in the hosting of the Zambian music awards ceremony on 22nd February 2013.
The awards are being sponsored by Zambia Breweries in partnership with the National Arts Council of Zambia (NAC).
ZAM president Maiko Zulu said there was need for the organisers of the awards ceremony to conduct themselves professionally especially on adjudicating.
Mr. Zulu said adjudicating had always raised concern among members to the public.
He told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that once the adjudication was professionally handled, there would be less room for people to raise issues concerning the ceremony.
He commended Zambian Breweries for providing KR1 million for the Zambian music awards ceremony saying the initiative was one that would benefit a lot of artists.
Mr. Zulu said Zambia had not had a purely musical award for a long time and therefore, it was important to recognise the efforts of Zambian Breweries which has fulfilled its social responsibility by giving back to the people.
And Mr. Zulu disclosed that his association would not comment on the ongoing disputes concerning the upcoming musical awards ceremony until it receives a written report from the parties involved.
He said ZAM was keen on resolving the disagreements but would wait for a formal approach by the parties involved before issuing a comprehensive comment on the issue.
Immediately after the awards ceremony was announced last year, veteran musician Brian “Shakarongo” Chengala challenged the NAC and Zambian Breweries to explain their claims of organising Zambia’s “first ever music awards,” saying the connotation was false and misleading. In a bid to justify his arguments, Shakarongo provided historical photographs and documents from the first ever Zambian music awards presided over by Zambia’s first President Kenneth Kaunda on April 3, 1981.
NAC chairperson Mulenga Kapwepwe admitted that there might have been an oversight on the connotation but advised people to move ahead and look at other areas to make the awards successful.
This led to the veteran musician, several others, producers and managers to criticize the forthcoming music awards ceremony, describing it as flawed and an insult to the industry.
They have since asked government, through NAC and Zambian Breweries, to seek advice from local and foreign experts in various fields to revaluate and come up with fair awards.
