Kanyomozi and Ndagire have what it takes to compete with men

Sep 06, 2005

<b>Jim Kalyesubula</b><br><br>I commend the Pearl of Africa Music Awards (PAMA) committee for greatly improving Uganda’s music. Awarding musicians has resulted into the tremendous improvement in the quality of Ugandan music.

Jim Kalyesubula

I commend the Pearl of Africa Music Awards (PAMA) committee for greatly improving Uganda’s music. Awarding musicians has resulted into the tremendous improvement in the quality of Ugandan music.

However, let me register my dissatisfaction with the way this year’s PAM Awards list of nominees was arrived at.

Mariam Ndagire’s name is conspicuously missing on this year’s list.

This crooning diva, also one of the few women artistes in Uganda to head a band never won any award in last year’s PAM Awards! Mariam Ndagire has certainly improved Uganda’s music industry and she meritoriously deserves to be nominated.

Some of last year’s nominees and eventual winners raised much eyebrows among the Ugandan music lovers and some musicians.

Sheila Nvannungi, who burst on the music scene as late as 2003 won the 2004 female artiste of the year award and Winnie Munyenga won the new artiste of the year award for the same year, respectively.

Little known East World group won four music awards in various categories! I believe Ndagire should have been the best female artiste in 2004 and Nvannungi the best new artiste, 2004.

It is not surprising then for me that none of the above two winners for 2004 in their respective categories has been nominated for any award this year.
characterised last year’s nominations still persist despite promises to change.

For example, the committee confuses the Best Live Band category with the Popular Band category. They do this, for reasons best known to them when they fail to create a category for the most Popular Band.

Yet, there’s a huge difference between the Best Live Band and Popular Band categories. Band X may be the Best Live Band, but not as Popular as Band Y, hence the need to create room for the distinct two categories. Due to improper categorisation, a less conscious voter may be forced to vote for his/her Popular Band as the best Live Band. This would not be the case if a categorisation for the Popular Band had been provided.

Since its inception three years ago, PAMA Committee has never nominated any woman singer for the top most award of the artiste of the year. They keep on recycling the same names of Jose Chameleone, Bobi Wine and Bebe Cool, whose constant feuding for fame has left me thinking that civilised competition is probably not part of the music industry.

Women singers like Juliana Kanyomozi and Ndagire already have what it takes to compete with men singers. What other reason, other than the patriarchal mentality of thinking that men should always lead, does the committee have for not nominating women for the top most award for the third year?

The writer is a freelance journalist

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