The 11th South African Music Awards (Samas) take place this weekend with a colourful build-up, thanks to sponsor MTN and the usual attendant drama. Part of the drama spills over from last year and may be between MTN and the organisers.
Emerging from the awards event last year, Sama delegates were greeted by a Sunday newspaper report suggesting that MTN was about to pull out as the main sponsor. The reason for possible withdrawal was given as outrageous demands by the organisers.
A newly constituted committee under EMI music label executive Leslie Sedibe appears to have mended relations with MTN, which is happily on board, for now.
So far, the marriage appears to be a happy one. Yet, just like a fling between celebrities, only time will tell if MTN and the Sama committee are as happy as they appear to be or if they’re merely glossing over serious cracks. In reality, when MTN reflects on this sponsorship, however long it eventually lasts, it will find that the best mileage would have been derived from its first year, 2004.
Last year marked the Samas’ 10th year, MTN’s 10th year and 10 years of democracy in South Africa. Of course, MTN’s big yellow took over from three years of Standard Bank’s big blue. If logic holds, the next sponsor should be red and the one after green, and both must have deep pockets. Coca-Cola and Old Mutual, are you listening?
On then to the main business of the evening: Lebo Mathosa will pitch up not wearing anything, Somizi Mhlongo will try to attract … What? Huh? Music? Oh, sorry, the main business of the night is the music, not the celebrity wardrobes and antics. Though it has to be said that the level of drama has dropped with the departure of Brenda Fassie, most famously remembered for annexing a song of the year award from Mandoza by declaring, “This is my award.” All you get these days are attention-seeking starlets with carefully staged misbehaviour.
For big winners and losers, let us start at the end, where the artist and song of the year are selected by public vote. Over the past two years, the masses have voted for Mzekezeke. Yet, on at least one of those occasions, in 2003, the riff-raff got it wrong and, in doing so, denied Mafikizolo a richly deserved, overdue and ringing public endorsement. This year, Mzekezeke declared himself unavailable for the category, claiming to want to give a chance to other artists, or rather, his charge Brown Dash. But that is not his prerogative and the rules should not have allowed it.
Victory in the public vote award for Mafikizolo is not easy to guarantee. You see, on Van Toeka Af, Mafikizolo have stuck to a look and sound that worked well on their past three albums. On at least three tracks, one notices a cutting and pasting of work of previous efforts. So, if they win, it will be a reward for past injustices rather than praise for recent effort. However, they face stiff competition from Kabelo, Thandiswa Mazwai and Brown Dash, artists with solid releases and genuine, original achievements over the past year.
Another source of drama for this year was Mafikizolo competitors Malaika. They have courted controversy through their self-titled debut album. The album was released in 2003, but only reached the charts last year, selling 400 000 copies in the process. Now the group is in contention for bestselling album, with only sales of the 2004 calendar year under consideration.
Finally, the Samas seem to have gone past their reconciliatory phase. For a few years, they tried cross-genre performance collaborations to appeal to a wider audience. Now they have accepted that music is consumed largely along racial lines and gone back to mainly black artists. This year’s performers will include new sensations Simphiwe Dana and Zamajobe Sithole, veteran Ringo and the maverick Pitch Black Afro. It should be electrifying and, hopefully, dramatic.
The details
The Samas take place on Saturday April 16 at the Sun City Superbowl. Tickets are sold at Computicket for R70. The ceremony will be televised on SABC1 at 8pm. For nominee information, go to www.samusicawards.co.za