Taxpayer-funded Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has said preparations for the annual Entertainers of the Year Awards have started.
Speaking at Hotel Victoria in Blantyre on Wednesday when the organising committee held a review of the 2024 edition, MBC director general George Kasakula said they have weathered the teething problems they encountered last time.
“The awards do not belong to MBC, but the public. The media landscape has changed and it cannot be monopolised by one entity. Again, we also need to follow international trends because we cannot operate as an island. We need to have a model where we can derive direction from,” he said.
Issues on the agenda included misalignment of nominations, lack of participation by nominated artists and laying down mechanisms to increase the public and artists’ trust and interest in the awards.
MBC has this year incorporated in the organising committee representatives of various sectors such as media, film, music and art.
Organisers say the move seeks to draw input from the different sector players to ensure credibility and transparency in the awards process.
On his part, filmmaker Charles Shemu Joyah commended MBC for establishing a committee of people from different sectors.
He said: “People have been complaining about nominations in wrong categories and some works done years ago being voted for and that brought criticism. That contributed to loss of confidence in the arrangement.
“This one will help to bring back the awards to the people. It is something of national interest which needs to be maintained.”
