About the Bulawayo Arts Awards — Bulawayo Arts Awards

The Bulawayo Arts Awards (BAA) are multi-disciplinary arts awards recognising and honouring exceptional individual and collaborative artistic effort in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South — and those born in Bulawayo practising their art anywhere in the world.

The awards are not intended to counter any other awards or forms of recognition in Bulawayo or the country. They complement the work already being done to recognise and honour artists from the Matabeleland region. The awards know no race or tribe; the awards base is a cosmopolitan city.

The inaugural edition was held on 30 June 2017 at the Large City Hall in Bulawayo. The response was strong enough that the venue was oversubscribed, with hundreds reportedly turned away, and the ceremony reached audiences beyond Zimbabwe through its online broadcast.

Purpose

To recognise and honour the efforts of practising individual artists and arts groups across the disciplines practised in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South.
To marry the corporate world with the creative sector.
To create a competitive culture among the artist community, lifting the arts sector in the Matabeleland region while improving the standard of work.
To celebrate diverse creativity in the city of Bulawayo.
To provide a social platform for artists to celebrate their own achievements.
To motivate artists to do better and reach their full potential.
To elevate the status of the recipients of the awards.
To uplift the arts sector in the city of Bulawayo.

Over the years the awards have evolved alongside the creative industry. Categories have grown to reflect how artists create, perform and reach audiences — from music, theatre and dance to literature, fashion, film, journalism, radio, online media and digital content.