Help, it's raining awards

By Kalungi Kabuye

I have been a practising journalist for more than 15 years, and got my share of accolades. I have been referred to as one of the best writers in the country by some, and as a very good photographer by others. But when it comes to winning actual awards that has come very far and in between.

The biggest one I remember is winning the M-Net Africa Photographer of the Year Award, part of whose prize was getting to attend the New York Fashion Week, and chill with the likes of Oluchi in New York.

But that was a while ago, so I was quite surprised when it turned out I had been nominated for three different awards in one week. It was even more shocking in that I had never heard of some of the awards.

First were the Afrikan Fashion Walk Awards, which have been held for the last several years. No one really knows the fellows behind it, and whether they know anything about fashion, but they are held anyway although they are largely ignored by the industry.

Then there were something called the Nessi Awards, I don’t know much about those, was just told about them. Then there is the mouthful Men’s Fashion Xplo Style And Fashion Awards, whatever that really means. 

Organised by a guy going by the name or label Abryanz Collection, he called me up one day and asked me to be on the judges team. I declined, citing conflict of interests, and then they go and nominate me for fashion photographer of the year. If I’d agreed I would be a judge of the awards I had been nominated for. Go figure.

Which raises the question, why do people hold awards in the first place? Awards are held all over the world, and all the time, to recognise achievements in different fields.  The more respected of them are held by organisations that recognise their peers, like the Oscars, organised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 

Or the Grammy Awards (from the word gramophone), by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States.

But in Uganda, it is mostly individuals that come up and organise awards, mostly aiming to make money out of them. And mostly, in Uganda you apply to be considered for nomination. 

We all remember the PAM Awards and the rumours of what a killing the organisers had made. So all kinds of people tried their hands, and got burnt. Remember the Golden Awards, sort of a poor man’s PAMAs held in Nakivubo stadium? They lasted all of two years.

Not to be outdone Harry Sagara organised the Golden Pen Awards for print journalists, but they didn’t last for long either. 

Then there are the Young Achievers awards, whose headline recipient every year is a chap over 50. The media is full of awards that were started but did not last long, mainly because the organisers realised there was rally no money to be made.

So, what’s the future for awards in this country? There is no denying that awards encourage the particular industry to improve, just as the much criticised PAM Awards did a lot in improving the standards of Ugandan music. 

But maybe the Uganda Performing Rights Society, which is an umbrella organisation of musicians, should have organised them, and their members get to vote for their peers.

And maybe fashion designers, known and unknown, should get together and award their peers. Then maybe they would be taken seriously, and not be thought of as just trying to make money out of them. Just saying.