Anton Jeftha, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng and Sthembiso Sk Khoza have been nominated for Feather Awards. Pictures: Instagram
It’s officially Pride Month in South Africa and that also means the annual Feather Awards are around the corner.
For years, the awards have been subject to some criticism from the queer community about the emphasis on celebrities, sometimes at the expense of the very community the awards were created to serve.
The organisers of the Feather Awards seem to have taken this feedback to heart as it shows in the nominees who will be duking it out for the coveted pink diamond this year.
The announcement for the 2022 Feather Awards nominees came after the hoisting of the Pride flag at the home of human rights Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg.
With this year marking the 14th annual event, the official Feathers hashtag for this year will be #Feathers14.
It will, sadly, also be the first time in four years that the main event will not be hosted (and partly produced) by the beloved Lumko Johnson Leqela who passed away earlier this year. Prior to their passing, Lumko had hosted and scripted the Feathers in addition to the other jobs they had.
This year, the hosting baton will be passed to one of Lumko’s mentees, Candice Modiselle who will hold down the awards ceremony alongside her sisters Bontle and Refilwe. They will be joined by sign language activist Andiswa Gebashe who shared some of her knowledge with the audience before the nominees were announced.
This year, the awards will return to the Market Theatre in Johannesburg and are set to take place on Thursday, 10 November 2022.
“There is still much work to be done. Covid-19 slowed down the process and now it’s time to accelerate the transformation and get back on track. And it’s going to take all of us to do it. From the public sector and the private sector, government and businesses need to put their money where their mouths are,” commented Thami Kotlolo, co-founder of the Feather Awards.
Best Styled Individual
Hunk of the Year
Diva Extraordinaire of the Year
Sports Personality of the Year
Role Model of the Year
Cutest Couple
Hot Chick of the Year
Media Award of the Year
Fag Hag of the Year
Designer of the Year (new category)
Musician of the Year
Socialite of the Year (Seen at every opening of an envelope or an erection of a stop sign)
Drama Queen of the Year
Social Media Personality of the Year
Best LGBTIQ Initiative: Private Sector
Best LGBTIQ Initiative: Public Sector
Best LGBTIQ Youth Movement
Best Rainbow Parenting
This year, the Simon Nkoli Award will be awarded to internationally renowned choreographer and dancer Gregory Maqoma.
According to Feather Awards organisers, nominees are selected by a knowledgeable panel consisting of members of the media and entertainment industry, who are firmly in touch with what’s hot and what’s not on the South African social circuit.
“Each nominated individual, organisation or brand, have in one way or the other either represented, inspired, or celebrated the LGBTIQ+ community with excellence and distinction over the past twelve months. These nominees are selected from industries across lifestyle (entertainment, arts and sports), politics and even business.”
The Feathers Awards, now in it’s 14th year is organised in partnership with the Thami Dish Foundation, which works towards educating the public at large to the struggles faced by the LGBTIQ community. This is mainly done through the foundation’s LGBTIQ+ dialogues, workshop and trainings done in communities across South Africa.
“Inclusivity is not about celebrating the community for a few days in a year. Government and corporates need to support the community, get involved in programmes and initiatives 365 days of the year, not just in June or October when the exercise of ticking boxes needs to happens.
“We, the queer community, are unf***n apologetic about being heard, being seen, being recognised and been included. This doesn’t take away from organisations who offer unwavering support for the community. We see you and value your support. To all the nominees best of luck for the upcoming awards next month,” concluded Kotlolo.
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