LAST Saturday I watched the Born & Bred music awards which were, by far, better presented than the sham that was roundly condemned last year.
On that day, my interest was not too much on the presentation of the awards or the outrageous dress code of some of the presenters, but on the feud brewing up in the creative arts industry where Copperbelt artistes have this ‘beef’ with their midlands counterparts.
Going by the way the awards panned out, I was left wondering if the so called ‘beef’ has now crept into the minds of the adjudicators for them to favour particular artistes not for what they have done but for where they hail from.
It left me wondering if the ‘beef’ might not end up seeing the players in the creative arts industry crossing paths during activities when they are supposed to be singing from the same hymn book.
I have in mind the recent petition for the removal of Mulenga Kapwepwe from the helm of the National Arts Council (NAC), or how the creative artists will play a role in the commemoration of Zambia’s Independence Golden Jubilee.
Anyway, that is for the artistes and artists to sort out, but the industry is definitely growing and squabbles will only negate that growth.
Bodies like the Zambia Association for Musicians (ZAM) and NAM itself better be wary lest the last standing sponsors walk out.
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The Sport On programme on ZNBC last week featured a report on the state of wrestling in the country and just when the topic was introduced by Modern Sinkala, what came to mind was that the death of Willie ‘Tigerboy’ Nkandu marked the death of the sport.
As if the presenter was reading my mind, they started the report by showing Nkandu’s grave and for me that is where lies the once vibrant sport.
I personally interacted with Nkandu before his death and reading into his vision to spread the sport to schools starting with what was his pilot project at Libala Secondary school, you could see the passion the man had for the sport.
It was also interesting to see Modern pick the minds of National Organisation for Women in Sports, Physical Activity and Recreation (NOWSPAR) general secretary Lombe Mwambwa on the performance of the under-17 team at the World Cup in Costa Rica.
Lombe is of the view that the girls needed support during the qualification campaign for the World Cup, during the build-up and at the tournament itself but most importantly now after their elimination.
That is the shared view of  Zambia Sports Fans Association patron Peter Makembo that the same attention paid during the qualifiers should have been matched during the tournament as well as introducing a running league.
Away from sports, when Big Brother Mzansi started, I said something about the popularity of the programme or the lack of it considering most housemates have a tendency of digressing into their language.
That, coupled with the fact that the programme is now just for South African housemates as opposed to the usual pan-African participation has kept the interest of many local viewers at a distance.
Todate the Mzansi Big Brother secrets has not attracted as much interest as previous ones or maybe because of the larger chunk of audiences pay-television takes with the likes of Telemundo.
Here is from the mailbag
“Hi, are we short of sports analysts for ZNBC to subject us to the same gentlemen over and over? These guys never even watch local league matches. They only go to the stadium when there is an international match.”
Evans

Comrade Evans, this is a matter that boggles my mind too. I have been asking myself what constitutes a soccer analyst. I personally draw a line of distinction between a soccer fan and a soccer analyst.
I know some colleagues in the journalism realm who are able to analyse matches better. I also know some radio and television presenters who can analyse matches well but we keep sticking to the same old people.
“Hi
I want to commend the organisers of the just ended Born & Bred Annual Awards ceremony for responding to public fears about the level of preparations for the event.
This is against the backdrop of substandard shows in the past. I admit the organisers this time round appeared to be smooth.
The rowdy kids who usually disturb the ceremony were properly managed largely through the ticket pricing.
By our standards, the event management, camera work and general ambience were of ‘international standard.’
There is still room for improvement particularly with time management, live performances (miming) and audio sound. By and large, I am content to note that the public sentiments and suggestions have borne fruit and we look to a distinctive performance for the 2014 awards.
However, my concern is about the selection of nominees and finally the winners.
I beg to be educated on why and how come Slap Dee scooped all the major awards in the Mosi awards while the Kopala swagger Macky 2 bagged nothing, but at the Born and Bred awards it was vice versa, although Slap Dee managed to win one award.
How can this happen, when, for example, Slap Dee won the Best Hip Hop award under the Mosi award label while Macky 2 won on the other one and yet these guys have a similar if not same audience?
I also have an issue with the Red Carpet arrangement, the presentation was a total replica of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice set up, why not come up with our creation, let us be creative and innovative.
“There is nothing wrong with borrowing an idea, but not where one becomes a copy cat. Cheers!”
Joe Danza