UPND Nurtures Zambian Talent

FLASHBACK: Winnerd Simwala with Derrick Sinjela and Dr Mbita Chitundya Chitala 3 Feb 2023. Picture by Henry Chunza

By Henry Chunza and Derrick Sinjela

During the Second Edition of the Pan African Radio 96.1FM Emerging Stars Awards (PARESA) held at the Premium Hotel in Lusaka, Anderson Banda, the UPND Lusaka Province Youth Chairperson, assured the creative and performing artistes that President Hakainde Sammy Hichilema’s United Party for National Development (UPND) Alliance New Dawn Administration attaches great importance to nurturing their talents. Banda explained that the involvement of youths in artistic pursuits can distract them from indulging in vices such as alcohol abuse, early marriages, and teenage pregnancies, while also contributing to Zambia’s economic growth agenda articulated in the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP).

The event was a competitive but collaborative platform for budding artistes to showcase their talents in various musical genres, such as hip-hop, RnB, dance hall, Gospel, Collaboration, and Afro. The awards ceremony recognized young music talent in six categories for secular and gospel music, with sponsors including California Beverages, Kazi Global Resources, and Mika Meats, and the venue was facilitated by Premier Hotel on Cairo Road, Lusaka, next to the Bank of Zambia (BoZ).

Banda pledged K10,000 to be shared among the 33 participants, emphasizing President Hichilema’s practical inclusion of young people in the governance of Zambia. He noted that the appointment of Pastor Kangwa Chileshe and Fumba Chama aka Pilato as Permanent Secretaries in the Ministry of Youth, Sport, and Arts attests to the UPND’s commitment to empowering and including artistes in all structures of central and local government. Furthermore, Banda reiterated the UPND’s commitment to ensuring that young people remain the future for tomorrow today, as they were the ones who ushered the current government into power.

Sponsors, organizers, and guests, including the UPND Lusaka Province Youth Chairman, the Director of Programmes and Partnerships at the National Youth Development Council (NYDC), the Director for Kazi Global Resources Limited, the representative for Mika Meats, the Premier Hotel representative, and others were recognized and thanked for their contributions to the event by Caesar Edward Sindele, the Station Manager of Pan African Radio 96.1FM.

Anderson Banda with Watts Mwila and Lance Sannie Banda

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