Strauss Lunyangwe
For the first time ever, the LGBTQIA+ community will be celebrating Namibian queer culture in the form of awards to those who influence the advancement of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The ceremony takes place under the theme ‘Shine bright like a diamond’ and aims to thank, acknowledge and recognise lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) influencers, creatives, personalities, artists, entrepreneurs as well as those who support them – their allies.
Organised by Pride Pop-Up, this first annual event will take place on 10 December 2022 at Wernhil Park with a lot of glitz, glamour and all things fabulous as is customary to Pride events.
Gerhard Samuel Mason, the media, communications and PR of the awards ceremony, told VIBEZ! that they chose the theme because, as the LGBTQIA+ community, they have gone through a lot of issues in life, “but have kept our heads up high, held the faith for a better tomorrow, and still shine through it all”.
“The ceremony aims to show gratitude for each person’s good job, and it makes people aware that good work will be rewarded,” he said.
“We are passionate about visibility and creating events that have a direct impact on the lives of the LGBTQIA+. With this specific event, we want to highlight the work that has been done by different personalities within and outside of the LGBTQIA+community to influence the advancement of the LGBTQIA+ community.”
A total of 106 people have been nominated for trophies and cash prizes.
“The nominees were solely selected and nominated by the public. We placed them in categories based on the number of nominations per person. Nominees should have work that translates to LGBTQIA+, and the work should have been done during the years 2000 to October 2022.”
The categories:
Best Corporate Personality
Best Entrepreneur/Business
Best Rainbow Parent
Best Social Media Influencer/Media
Best Music Artist
Best Media Production Personality
Best Poet/Author
Best Civil Society
Best Activist/feminist
Best Couple
Best Event
Best Stylist/Fashion
Best Makeup Artist
Best Dancer/choreographer
Best Radio Personality
Best Media House
Best Host/MC
Best Photographer
It’s a red carpet event, and Mason urged the public to bring their A-game with their outfits. Entertainment will be provided by an international LGBTQIA+ artist as well as Gaddess, Desire, BlackGold, etc.
In terms of hurdles experienced in hosting the event, the team mentioned that they only have one sponsor on board – Educate for Africa.
“We are so grateful to them. However, the event requires a huge amount of manpower and most importantly, a financial boost. We have reached out to different stakeholders and we still are, but we have not gotten any positive responses from them. We are hopeful that we will get another sponsor to come on board,” he added.
– slunyangwe@nepc.com.na