The January disease is over, the calendar has flipped, and the Zimbabwean arts industry now stands exposed. The question is no longer what’s coming and it is who is actually ready.This is the month when post-holiday lethargy dies or becomes an alibi. And, in 2026, February feels less like a transition and more like an audit.
At the centre of this reckoning is the National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) season. For years, NAMA has carried the burden of being both the industry’s biggest mirror and its favourite punching bag. Artists want recognition, but many recoil when it is time to engage, support or even acknowledge the platform.
So the uncomfortable questions must be asked: Will artists show up this season, or will they disappear the moment nominations do not go their way? Will they fly the NAMA flag, attend ceremonies or, at least, send representatives? Or will silence and social-media sniping once again replace professionalism?
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They rely on participation, belief and public buy-in. When top artists boycott, undermine or ignore them, they weaken not just NAMA, but the very idea of artistic validation in Zimbabwe. If the industry keeps eating its own institutions, what exactly is it building?
Organisers are not exempt from scrutiny either. February is a stress test for preparedness and credibility. Are adjudication processes transparent enough to withstand backlash?
Are categories relevant to current creative realities? Are artists properly informed, or are they expected to simply trust a system that has historically struggled with communication? Preparedness must replace defensiveness.
This season demands clarity, not press statements issued after the damage is done. As the industry waits for the release of the nominees, tension is already in the air.
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