Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Banham awards: CAS courts veep

CHINGOLA Arts Society (CAS) is courting Vice President Guy Scott to officiate at this year’s prestigious Banham Awards which has been budgeted for K39 million. The Banham Awards is an annual arts event held in honour of the founding CAS chairperson Christopher Robert Banham Esquire. The awards were launched in 1989 with only four categories but today it has grown to 19 categories. CAS chairperson Clement Muyasani told Times Entertainment that to show the significance of the event, the theatre house decided to invite Scott as the guest of honour at the event. He said that even if arts are a form of entertainment, it also provides informal employment to the actors. He was optimistic that if arts were enhanced to the level of Nollywood in Nigeria and Hollywood in the United States, many people would leave their current employment to join the film and arts industry. Muyasani said to honour the providers of arts entertainment, CAS would recognise outstanding actors, both male and female, play writers and plays performed at the theatre in the past year. The roles that would be awarded include leading actors (male and female), best director, best supporting actor (male and female), best overall production, best producer, best script and best lights. Others would be carmeo, best sets, best decorations, best costumes, best make up, properties while three people are expected to walk away with the chairperson’s awards. Muyasani said the competition for the awards would be stiff as the theatre house had staged seven plays this year. To ensure that all the 19 winners get meaningful awards CAS has budgeted K28.6 million for awards and about K10.4 million for logistics. The chairperson said Konkola Copper Mines had been the main sponsor of the event nearly every year and he called on other business houses to come on board in promoting arts and culture. Muyasani appealed to the corporate world to join hands with KCM and CAS in staging this year’s Banham awards in an effort to honour people who had contributed positively to the growth of arts. He said the late Mission Press Director Father Drevensik Miha as one of the people who would be honoured posthumously at this year’s awards.

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