Malawi Music Awards preparations on track

Organisers of the Music Malawi Awards (MUMA) have said that preparations for the second edition of the awards are in advanced stage with nomination of the artists to be awarded near completion.

After the nomination process, five artists in each of the 13 categories will be put forward for public voting through various platforms to be announced in due course.

“Everything is on track. At the moment we have received several nominations in each of the categories after the process the judges will shortlist the nominated artists to come up with five in each of the categories for the public voting,” said Public Relations and Communications Manager for the Second Annual MUMA Awards Bright Sonani.

The awards, inaugurated in 2013, are being jointly organized by MediaCorp Limited, a multi-media consultancy firm, and Trocadero Consulting, a public relations and events management company in partnership with the Musicians Union of Malawi, formally the Musicians Association of Malawi.

According to Sonani the nomination process involves various media houses, journalists and selected media outlets.

“We felt that media houses and journalists will ably present names of artists which have made an impact in 2014,” he added.

The awards event is set to be held soon at the Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the country’s capital Lilongwe.

Meanwhile, the organisers have announced names of seven judges who will be involved in coming up with the final five artists in each category.

The judges include veteran singer and broadcaster Maria Chidzanja Nkhoma and ethnomusician Waliko Makhala. The other judges are DJs Kenny Klips, Maya and Jean Chalungama, Journalist and columnist Penelope Paliani-Kamanga and Music Crossroads Malawi Director Mathews Mfune.

Chidzanja Nkhoma is an ccomplished musician, broadcaster, poet and actress who started her musical journey around 1970 as a member of the MBC Band. As a Radio personality she has worked with MBC Radio, SABC Channel Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa, Radio Alinafe as a volunteer and she now works with Zodiak Broadcasting Services (ZBS).

Makhala is an ethnomusicologist, TV and Radio producer, researcher, cultural scientist and columnist.

He has been actively involved in fine and performing arts in the country with international exploits in France, Taiwan, Indonesia and most countries of the sub-Saharan region. He is one of the founding staff members of MBCTV, the first television station in the country which started off as Television Malawi (TVM) before being incorporated into Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC).

Waliko hosts a musical radio show on MBC Radio 1 and another on MBCTV. He has a passion for traditional musical instruments and performs a number of traditional musical instruments and acoustic guitar.

DJ Kenny Klips is a DJ, radio personality, hip hop musician and promoter who is currently working for private owned Times TV. Real name Kenny Wako and popularly known as “F1” in showbiz circles, DJ Klips is Malawi’s most prominent DJ responsible for the domination of urban music in the country.

DJ Maya is an award winning club DJ after emerging winner in the Sprite DJ’s competition in 2012 and repeating the feat in the Carlsberg Chill DJ’s 2013 competition. Born Yani Kalumba is a prolific DJ whose exploits in music date back to 2006. DJ Maya is currently a resident club DJ at Chez Ntemba International Club in Lilongwe.

Chalungama is one of the country’s prolific female radio presenters and DJs, an award winning sports journalists and an MC. She was recently listed as one of 2014 Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Women to Watch. Chalungama ventured into broadcasting in 2004 through Radio 101FM and she is currently only female sports radio presenter in the country.

Paliani-Kamanga is a veteran writer, journalist, media practitioner, columnist and musician who once served as a board of trustees for MAM where she was appointed because of her great energy, versatility, and enterprise in musical tempo, meter, and articulation.

She is an avid music follower as well as a musician with a rich musical background dating back to her childhood years. Born in a family where music was an everyday language Paliani-Kamanga can read music having been home trained by her dad and she was part of the Paliani Progression Band which included her South African based brother Erick, one of the brightest music exports from Malawi.

Gayighayi Mathews Mfune is a music and film producer, researcher, facilitator and trainer, arts and culture manager who has been involved in the establishment of the Music Crossroads Malawi and has also assisted in the formation of several bands including managing some of them.

Some of the bands he managed and initiated their formation include Daughters Band, Music Crossroads Band, Music Crossroads Model Choir, Hear Us Children, Music Crossroads Groovers Band, Body Mind and Soul and Konkalazi Bands.

He has also been a judge for the Kuche Kuche Music Awards organised by Carlsberg Malawi, Music Coordinator for Blantyre Arts Festival and the Moon Rock festival and organised the International Choral Music Workshop among several of his musical activities.

Mfune currently works for Music Crossroads Malawi (MCM) and Academy as Country Director.

The MUMA awards debuted last year as Musicians Association of Malawi Music Awards before the rebranding to annual MUMA Awards.

The rebranding according to Sonani is to reflect the overall mission and vision of the awards.

Sonani said the mission of the MUMA Awards is to positively impact on the growth of Malawi’s music industry through recognising, encouraging, nurturing and supporting overall professional excellence and the best of Malawi’s local music talent.

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