By Chilungamo Missi:
Malawi Sounds (MASO) Enterprise on Monday unveiled nominees for this year’s MASO awards slated for November 26.
Speaking during a press briefing in Blantyre, Director of MASO Awards, Augustine Mukisi said the awards which aim at promoting youth empowerment in the country through arts have 30 categories in total.
“We have 30 categories and among them 20 are musical while 10 are non-musical. This year, we have included non-musical categories to show appreciation to other arts sectors which are usually neglected when other artists are being awarded for their contribution to the industry.
“Some of the non-musical categories are photographer of the year, graphic designer of the year, actor of the year and visual artist of the year, just to mention a few. Voting will commence on Tuesday through a voting link which is yet to be made available,” said Mukisi.
Apart from unveiling the nominees, Mukisi disclosed that Amaryllis Hotel and Chisurija Transport Services (CTS) were the official partners and sponsors for this year’s awards, saying both demonstrated interest in promoting youth empowerment and arts in the country.
Amaryllis Hotel Manager, Ramy Waheed said they have entered into an agreement with MASO Awards because they share a common vision of promoting arts.
Waheed said: “Amaryllis Hotel is supporting and always behind everything related to culture and arts in Malawi; this partnership is a good development because we will be able to appreciate efforts of all the artists doing work that can put the country on the map.”
He added that their aim is to scale up the awards to another level, saying the actual awards ceremony will be marked as big and luxurious event which will attract local and international attention.
Speaking in a separate interview, Managing Director for CTS, Jacqueline Bokosi said the company believes in empowering the youth who comprise half of the country’s population making them key to development.
