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Veteran singer and award-winning artiste, Maureen Lilanda, has been elected Chairperson of the National Arts Council (NAC), with Tivo Shikapwasha elected as Vice Chairperson, according to a statement by Maanka Chipindi, NAC Director and Board Secretary, on Tuesday.
Both Lilanda and Shikapwasha are prominent figures in Zambia’s creative industry. Lilanda, a jazz and traditional fusion musician, has decades of international performances, community influence, and arts advocacy.
She has won multiple Ngoma Awards, two Azami Awards, and the Starmaker accolade, and was nominated for South Africa’s Kora Award for Best Female Artist.
In 2022, she received the Ngoma Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. She currently serves as Vice President of the Zambia Arts Adjudicators Panel, acting as chief adjudicator for the Ngoma Awards.
Shikapwasha is a veteran film and television director who previously led the Zambia Association of Musicians, championing industry reform and artist welfare.
Chipindi said Youth, Sport, and Arts Minister Elvis Nkandu inducted the 5th Council Board of NAC at the Government Complex in Lusaka.
The ceremony brought together the new Board Members, senior Ministry officials, and the NAC Secretariat.
During the induction, Nkandu urged the Board to provide visionary leadership and position the arts as a key pillar of Zambia’s economic growth.
Presentations highlighted policy frameworks, departmental roles, and ongoing projects, including the construction of the National Arts Centre and preparations for the 20th Ngoma Awards, scheduled for December 11, 2025.
In congratulating the new leadership, Nkandu reminded them that their appointment carries both honour and responsibility to Zambia’s artistes.
He noted government achievements, including revisions of the NAC Act and the Theatres and Cinematography Act, and reaffirmed commitment to establishing the Arts Development Fund and National Film Commission.
He challenged the Board to expand NAC’s presence beyond Lusaka, strengthen corporate governance, and prioritise artistes in all policies and programmes.
Permanent Secretary for Arts, Fumba Chama, emphasised government’s goal to transform the arts from a social sector into an economic driver, citing the National Arts Policy (2023) and National Film Policy (2023).
He encouraged the Board to leverage their expertise and explore innovative financing models to reduce reliance on Government funding.
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