Meet the NAMAs Hosts

The brew of excitement keeps growing as we move closer and closer to the biggest celebration of music in the country, the Namibia Annual Music Awards (NAMAs).

The hosts of any event have a huge effect on its success or failure. Providing continuity, humour and even a bit of flirtatious banter, they can be considered the captains of the ship, so to speak, trusted to steer the entire show to a glorious ending. They help ensure that all watching, both in the live audience and behind television screens across the country, enjoy every single minute of the show. The NAMAs hosts were recently announced so The Weekender met up with them to find out a bit more about what they’ll be bringing to the much anticipated event.

Josy Nghipandua

She dominated the debating scene in her teen years and continues to do so, the Energy 100 presenter is one of the leading ladies on radio, having created a name for herself as one of the top hosts Namibia has to offer. She is a law degree holder who fell in love with radio and never let go.

“Public speaking has been a part of my life since I was 15 years old. My passion for the entertainment aspect of public speaking only really started when I started working as an MC at the Zula Entertainment National Dancing Competitions in 2006,” she says, adding that being a radio presenter has helped land her more gigs and establish her brand.

The bubbly radio presenter is honoured to be selected as one of the hosts of one of Namibia’s biggest entertainment events of the year and aims to show the public exactly what she is capable of. She is also particularly enthusiastic about aligning herself with big names in the industry, NBC and MTC.

“There is so much talent in Namibia, I can confidently say that there are speakers in this country who are ten times better than me, so for me to be given the opportunity to host on the main stage of one of Namibia’s most anticipated awards is indescribable for me,” she said.

A very confident Josy says the audience can expect a night of glitz and glamour and assures all the ladies that they are sure to be smitten with her co-host, who she describes as a total ‘hottie’.

“Unfortunately for anyone who disagrees, I refuse to be too modest about my abilities as a presenter. All in all, if ever you needed a definition of what quality presentation is and how it is done, get ready to reference the entire weekend.

Maya Angelou once said, ‘I am because I choose to be: 2013 was a powerful year for me. I graduated from the law faculty at the University of Namibia (Unam) and chose to walk away from it because media has always been my passion. Most people still do not understand why I would do something like that, but when you find that one thing that manages to light up your soul, even with a meagre salary, it’s worth pouring out all of your effort. The awards, for me, are a stepping stone in the direction I dedicate myself to choosing correctly,” she says.

Ashwyn Mberi

Yes ladies, he is cool, calm and… hot! And his name is Ashwyn Mberi. Fans first got a sneak preview of what he was capable of when he was a presenter on NBC and others know him from his performances on Spoken Word where he brings words to life with his characteristic masculine, sexy and powerful voice.

No doubt, female members of the audience will be hard pressed to concentrate on who wins or loses on the night, as they struggle to drag their attention from this very yummy diversion.

A full time university student and part time television presenter, Ashwyn brings a certain youthful vibrance to the show. With his impressive job at the NAMAs live nomination show, it’s hard to believe that the presenter only joined the industry last year.

“I have always been a performer but I started hosting ‘Opportunity Knocks’ on NBC last year and the NAMAs nomination show was my first live show,” he said.

Ashwyn says he absolutely expected to be selected for the job, admitting that he gives his all with every endeavour.

“I work hard so I usually expect to excel when I am given a platform to showcase my talents. Some may call that over-confidence but I pray for success and do my best to meet God halfway,” the confident young man said.

He appreciates the attention from female fans, especially because he says they scream the loudest at shows, something which provides a huge confidence boost, in turn bringing out a quality performance.

Without promising too much, he said that the audience can expect class, professionalism and “of course a decent dose of swag” from this young television presenter.

“Hosting the NAMAs means the world to me. It is a night when all tribes and music lovers come together, it is the biggest stage the country has to offer and I don’t take that lightly. The Namibian people deserve quality and it is an honour to be tasked to bring that to them,” he says.

Pombili Shilongo and Tshoopara ‘Chops’ Tshoopara

With the elegant and graceful Pombili Shilongo and stage regular, Tshoopara Tshoopara, hosting at the MTC Industry Awards, it is certain the Friday ceremony will definitely rock.

Pombili is known by many as the face of the popular ‘Whatagwan’ show on NBC. She is also a well-established model and has MC’d at prestigious events across the country. Pombili says, if given the chance, she would not exchange hosting the Friday event for the main one on Saturday.

She added that she aims to impress the international guests so that they can see that Namibia has their own homegrown talent.

With her passion and drive for television, Pombili says she is excited to entertain both a live audience as well as those watching at home. She says audiences can expect her to simply be herself, with an extra dose of excitement and a lot of interaction.

Tshoopara, better known as Chops, is a presenter on Radiowave who has managed to attract a large group of listeners on his music countdown show, ‘Take 40’. He also hosts the quiz nights at the Warehouse Theatre and has performed at Spoken Word and other poetry events a number of times.