Award winners presented during theatre festival in Lusaka




  1. 5 May 2007, by Chamilesu Kapaipi in Lusaka, Zambia. With the first president, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda in attendance, NAPSA Theatre emerged as best production winner of mainstream theatre category with their highly adrenaline triggered production dubbed 'Dead Roots", while Seka Theatre with their physical/minimalist play 'Sankani Moyo – Choose life" emerged as Community (Popular) Theatre category best community group winner and Dominican Convent Secondary School"s play 'A step beyond" as best production winner in the school category.

    Midst the local and international drama interaction and competition, awards were evenly spread as artistes got recognition for their roles in the production that were staged and adjudicated during the course of the 7-days festival that took place at the Lusaka Playhouse.
    Other participants to emerge winners include Victor Mweetwa (NAPSA) for Best actor, Zimbabwean Gudula La Towe (La Reina group) for best actress, Taonga Tembo (NAPSA) for supporting actor and Namoonda Nanyangwe (SWAAZ) FOR Best supporting actress.

    The Community (popular) Theatre category saw Mangoma Theatre scoop the Best community message development award while the schools category brought to the fore talented Naftali Buunda of David Kaunda Technical School as the best in a male role, Lorraine Mwansa of Dominican Convent Secondary School as the best in a female role and Kasonde Kafula as the best in a supporting role.

    The organizers also gave recognition awards to supporting partners HIVOS Southern Africa and former president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, Best print media coverage – Times of Zambia and Best electronic media coverage – Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC).

    Festival Director Chama Nambeya said the festival was a success due to the high turnout that gathered for the event as such facilitating for local artistes to benefit from the event which is run on the principle of the National Arts Council (NAC) motto 'Putting value on the arts".

    "As organisers of the festival, we feel that it has been a huge success and we owe this to our sponsors and the theatre fraternity both locally and within the region since it is through their effort that our objective has been met because together we are all making a contribution to the development of theatre in the country as it is through theatre that society can get a reflection of itself" Nambeya said.

    She also added that workshops that had been held everyday of the festival also proved to have had an impact on the participants as such creating a learning experience for the participants.
    Click here for Chamilesu's weblog.