Gospel Music Awards postponed to February

The inaugural Gospel Music Awards (GMA), which were scheduled to take place at Robins Park in Blantyre on Friday, have been postponed to February.

The setback comes after the organisers had assured the nation that the event was on despite the withdrawal of most of the nominated musicians.

However, the Awards’ chairperson Kondwani Magela, while apologising for the postponement, said they would have loved to have gone on with the awards on Friday but they had little time to put their house in order following their public fallout with the gospel artists.

“We tried our level best to hold it this year but things could not work, first and foremost you are aware that we have been discussing with gospel artists after all of them boycotted. We had to sit down for discussions and by the time we made agreements, it was too late and so the best was to shift it,” said Magela.

He said they have since communicated with the sponsors and other stakeholders as well as the nominees and gospel fraternity on the move and have settled for the first week of February for the event.

Interim chairman of the Gospel Music Association Bishop Burtone confirmed the move saying the event is now settled for February 1.

“The boycotts affected GMA’s administrative output and so the best was for them to shift it and have more time of preparations. Again there were a lot of anomalies which have to be rectified. We have advised them to dedicate the month of January for voting so that all people from Chitipa to Nsanje are involved,” said Bishop Burtone.

He said the previous voting event did not involve the whole country but now everyone will be involved and that this will produce the best output which will satisfy everyone.

Artists from Mzuzu and Lilongwe queried GMA after it released the list of nominees which excluded artists from the two regions. A week later, nominees Ndirande Anglican Voices and Khama Khwiliro announced that they were pulling out.

Khwiliro said on Monday that he has not been communicated to regarding the shift.

“I have not been consulted but if they have ironed out the issues which forced us out then I am willing to come back and be part of it,” said the former Christ Melodies’ singer.

Ndirande Anglican Voices’ lead vocalist Dennis Kalimbe said they will wait to hear from the organisers on what has changed.

“We will wait from them and if they have changed on the issues we presented and are suiting every artist in the country then, why not be part of it but if we still have gaps then, I am afraid we will not be part of it,” said Kalimbe.