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ZAMBIAN Breweries Plc, the corporate sponsor of the Zambian Music Awards through Mosi Lager, has expressed concern at the negative sentiments that are being attributed to the Zambian Music Awards (ZMA) mainly by musicians.
Company corporate affairs director Luke Njovu said in a statement that his company is saddened that the apparent differences between the Zambia Association of Musicians (ZAM) and the National Arts Council (NAC) could, if not properly managed, begin to negatively affect the corporate image of the company.
He says while the company is genuinely committed to playing a meaningful part in raising the standard and image of Zambian music, it will not continue to do so to the detriment of its corporate and product brands.
“I believe it is unfair to use the Zambian Music Awards as a channel or vehicle for highlighting the differences that are between NAC and ZAM. This is negatively impacting on our brand and it must be clearly understood that a sponsorship property that negates the value of a corporate entity will attract scrutiny and re-evaluation.
“Whilst Zambian Breweries Plc. is the corporate sponsor of the Zambian Music Awards, the company has no control over the mechanics and structure of the awards which is the jurisdiction of NAC.
“For us, the partnership with NAC is primarily aimed at giving the kind of credence and status to the music awards which we believe is befitting of a national awards programme,” Njovu, who also urged all music industry stakeholders to resolve their differences amicably with the primary objective of building the industry, concluded.
Last week, NAC issued its own statement that sought to answer a few issues within the arts industry as well as the ZMA.
It said it is grateful for the feedback, both positive and negative, that has been received regarding the awards.
“Having stated this, the council takes great exception to allegations that it mishandled finances for the Zambian Music Awards. The public may wish to know that the council does not handle any finances regarding the Zambian Music Awards, be it production, marketing, award money and adjudicators fees etc.
“Regarding the award money, the council’s position is that awards are not rewards or prizes that artists win. Awards are a statement from the public and adjudicators that the recipient has made a significant contribution to the sector and deserve to be recognised,” the statement signed by acting NAC director Maanka Chipindi, partly read.
