NPL shines at photographers awards
Nation Publications Limited (NPL) stood out among the print media in the country to take the Most Outstanding Institution Award at the inaugural Photographers Association of Malawi (Photama) awards in Blantyre on Saturday evening.
The leading media house was recognised because of its pictorial page which comes out in The Nation from Monday to Friday and in Weekend Nation every Saturday.
Judges said NPL’s gesture has helped change the way photography is viewed in the country as it has given everyone, including citizen journalists, an opportunity to contribute to the pages.
As if that was not enough, the media house’s photojournalist Thoko Chikondi earned the Best Photojournalist of the Year Award, beating veterans in the field.
In an interview, Chikondi said although she has won more prestigious international awards, the local award was special as it shows that her work is appreciated at home as well.
She said: “I feel honoured and fuelled to do better next time and help change the community. Photography changes the community because it is the best way to tell the truth.”
Other awardees include Dick Milanzie who won the Lifetime Achiever Award.
The veteran photojournalist was recognised for his outstanding photojournalism career which saw him capture the arrival of the country’s founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda in 1958 and visits of Queen Elizabeth II, Pope John Paul II and South Africa’s first post-apartheid president Nelson Mandela.
Photama board member Theresa Chapulapula said the body was looking forward to making the awards an annual event.
Blantyre City Council deputy mayor Wild Ndipo was guest of honour at the event. n
