AWARDS
She ran from her seat to the stage with such eagerness that
would earn Blessing Okagbere a gold medal in a 100metre race, she received the
award and without any appreciation she sprinted back to her seat, this time she
nearly tripped, as her 4ft wedge wasn’t designed for sprint races but for
dinner nights and top notch events like the one she just attended.
I usually
thought awards to be given in recognition to people’s contributions in a
certain field, but my thoughts are gradually been eroded by the turnout of
events. The lady that ran to the stage didn’t even know why she was awarded;
she just heard her name and ran the race of her life, as if the award would be
given to another if she didn’t show up in seconds. It was only after she had
gotten back to her seat that she read the description of her award from the
plaque. Of course she must have been told earlier that she would receive an
award, or maybe she even paid for it. So it was easier to understand her race
to the stage to receive the award, there was no appreciation for the award, not
that she knew what she would say, moreover she doesn’t even know why she was
awarded.
As I sat at
my table at that award night watching people race to the stage to receive their
plaque, I began to imagine the concepts I have conceived for awards. Before
now, awards were mostly by nominations. Nominees knew they were nominated but
they don’t know who the winner will be at the end. But these days’ awards are
paid for; just pay for the plaque and you have yours. I remember receiving a
call from an organization demanding that I pay money so that they can give me
an award. These days’ people demand appreciation for the award given even
before they give it out.
Award has
become a means of extorting money from those that have it. I recount a story of
a radio station that won the best radio station in their region. At first we
thought it was by merit, since the winner was chosen after a mobile voting
process, but we later got to know that the staff of the station had on the
final day of voting, recharged a number of mobile phones and voted for
themselves continuously, each of the staff at least voted 50 times. If that was
the case, how is the award a People Choice Award?
We should
either change our idea of awards by embracing transparency or we could still be
enmeshed in the nets of ambiguity.
Augustus
Bill
©2014
TUN/0009//28/07/14
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