NAMA leadership shifts to Scarlet Business Communications and Events Evolution

NAMA appoints Scarlet Business Communications and Events Evolution to lead a new era focused on stronger production, broader categories, and deeper partnerships (image source)

Reginald Matinanga, executive director of Scarlet Business Communications, has assumed leadership of the National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA), bringing a mandate to deliver a more ambitious, disciplined, and partner-friendly showcase for Zimbabwe’s creative sector. Working in tandem with Events Evolution CEO Talent Banda, Matinanga’s tenure focuses on elevating production standards, broadening categories, and building long-term strategic partnerships that can strengthen NAMA’s financial footing and public impact.

Matinanga’s appointment follows the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe’s (NACZ) decision to appoint Scarlet Studios, in partnership with Events Evolution, as NAMA’s event managers for the 2026–2030 cycle. The move ends a five-year period under Jacaranda Culture Media Corporation (JCMC) and signals a shift toward a joint-events management model that pairs creative direction with operational discipline. NACZ’s communications lead announced the appointments, emphasizing that the award platform must keep pace with the sector’s growth and evolving formats.

Scarlet’s pitch to the sector is built on delivery and credibility. Matinanga said his primary focus is to stage “exciting, prestigious, well-planned and well-executed” events — a foundation he believes will make it easier to attract “sustainable, long-term, mutually-beneficial partnerships.” He credited JCMC for its contribution in raising the awards’ profile and pledged continuity on excellence, while deepening NAMA’s value proposition for sponsors and artists alike. His professional profile spanning public relations, media, and events operations points to a hands-on approach with experience across planning, logistics, video production, and stakeholder engagement.

NAMA’s scope is expanding under the new managers. Fresh categories already added — Fashion and Digital & Visual Arts — reflect a broader embrace of contemporary creative practice and hybrid forms, aligning the awards with global trends and the realities of Zimbabwe’s creative economy. Matinanga noted that while categories are the NACZ’s statutory domain, Scarlet has supported consultative processes, including artist workshops that surfaced new category proposals now under consideration for future editions.

The 24th edition of NAMA is scheduled for February 28, 2026, under the theme “Fearless Creativity,” a rallying call for bold artistic risk-taking and cross-disciplinary experimentation. At a recent press conference, NACZ director for arts promotion and development, Barbra Gotore, urged creators from all fields to submit works produced between December 1, 2024, and November 30, 2025 — the eligibility window for this cycle. She underscored that NAMA is submission-based and thrives on diverse entries that mirror the country’s creative breadth.

To reinforce integrity and trust, NACZ has engaged Alinial Chartered Accountants to monitor the awards pipeline — from submissions and nomination vetting through to the ceremony — via a formal memorandum of understanding. This independent oversight is intended to strengthen transparency around adjudication, enhance auditability, and provide stakeholders with confidence in outcomes. The new managers and NACZ officials described the refreshed Lion Logo as an emblem of innovation and calm, entwined with courage — a signal of the brand’s intent to project boldness with clarity and discipline.

For artists, the message is twofold: NAMA is widening its embrace of forms and mediums, and it is standardizing the process infrastructure behind the scenes. Scarlet and Events Evolution’s partnership will be judged on whether they deliver a technical, punctual, and audience-ready show, and whether they can create compelling sponsor packages that bind corporate partners to multi-year commitments, reducing reliance on short-cycle funding. If the events are consistently excellent, the managers say, the commercial ecosystem around the awards becomes easier to grow.

This cycle’s success metrics extend beyond the broadcast and the ceremony’s aesthetics. They include the quality and representativeness of submissions, clarity of nomination criteria, communication with entrants, and post-award reporting. In practical terms, that means timely guidelines, transparent category definitions, and smooth entrant support alongside diligent adjudication. The managers and NACZ have framed NAMA as both a benchmark and an engine of sector development: a platform that celebrates excellence, encourages innovation, and connects artists to audiences, peers, and patrons across Zimbabwe and beyond.

Matinanga’s stewardship lands at a moment when Zimbabwe’s cultural institutions are tightening governance and modernizing event operations. His experience across communications and events, plus the Events Evolution partnership, sets a clear expectation: a professionally executed NAMA that can host the sector’s ambition without compromising fairness or craft. If that promise holds, “Fearless Creativity” will be more than a theme; it will be a measurable standard — from how entries are handled to how the spotlight finds and lifts the best of Zimbabwean art.