By Joyce Mukucha
Stiff lockdown measures imposed by the government to curtail the spread of the vicious Covid-19 global pandemic have not spared the music industry as it necessitated the adoption of safe practices, and among others discouraging gatherings or holding of live events.
The Zimbabwe Music Awards (ZIMA) ceremony that was scheduled to take place on February 6 has been postponed to February 20 due to the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement yesterday, ZIMA spokesperson, Benjamin Nyandoro said they were trying to adhere to COVID-19 containment measures hoping that by February 20th, the environment will be more conducive to hold the awards ceremony while still adhering to safe health practices.
“ZIMA wishes to inform all music stakeholders that the ZIMA 2021 awards ceremony has been rescheduled. This has been necessitated by the ongoing developments around concerted efforts to curtail the further spread of Covid-19 and possibly find a lasting solution to this pandemic.
“Event organisers are hopeful that the latest 30-day strict lockdown that is ongoing will have been eased by next month,” said Nyandoro.
He added that although the year 2020 tested the music sector beyond measure, artists still managed to be productive with over 1 000 entries being received for this year’s awards.
“Nevertheless, music is still a way of life. By close of submissions as at December 31, 2020, our team had received more than 1 235 music submissions across 30 categories. Impressive and surely well deserving of a befitting awards ceremony,” Nyandoro said.
Nyandoro also said they even have a new category for the award dedicated to celebrating musicians’ efforts towards COVID-19.
The country had seen a surge in COVID-19 cases during the festive season, with cases rapidly increasing on a daily basis.