A celebration of Namibian fashion and lifestyle

NAMIBIAN celebrities, media personalities and the entertainment industry’s crème de la crème assembled at the National Theatre of Namibia (NTN) on Saturday for the 2018 Simply You Magazine Fashion and Lifestyle Awards.

In an event that celebrated Namibian talent from actors to radio DJs and those in the fashion industry, it was a night of glamour and fanfare as the country’s premium lifestyle magazine honoured those in the industry.

Some of the winners on the night included Merja Ileka of Tuva Wolf Studios who won the favourite photographer of the year award, Princess Tjozongoro with favourite female model, Emily Kandanga with favourite fitness personality as well as Mathew Erastus with the favourite fashion designer award.

Accepting the award for favourite male actor, Denzel ‘NSK’ Noabeb made an impassioned speech highlighting the lack of support from corporate companies when it comes to the arts sector.

“Multinationals are spending millions and millions of dollars in South Africa but are not doing the same in Namibia. They’re making money off me and you but are refusing to invest in myself and the rest of the artists in the country. I want to tell Namibians to support the businesses that plough back to us.”

Another winner, Jay-Aeron Gert­ze praised the event for opening doors for all creatives. “I feel humbled. The category had inspirational and powerful women and I feel like it’s an eye opener for queer creatives that there is a place for them in any industry that they want to venture in. It’s also great validation for any young entrepreneur to pursue their dreams with tons of passion,” he said. The young creative won the award for favourite make-up artist, beating out tough competitors like Ada Auala, Hannah Nangula and Antonia Shinana.

The biggest winner of the night was no doubt songstress and avid philanthropist, Lize Ehlers who was honoured with the NDTC Diamond award for her outstanding work in uplifting local communities. Her work with her husband, Hendrik, on the Uyelele project provides sustainable lighting solutions for marginalised communities on the fringes of Namibian society. She urged fellow celebrities to use their platforms for the good of others instead of only focusing on the limelight.

founder, Helena Ngaifiwa said that for the second time running, the awards were once used as a platform to celebrate arts and lifestyle personalities.

“The fact that the event took place is the most important thing for me, secondly, I think that we are seeing a bar that’s higher than last year,” she said. She also noted that unlike last year, no celebrity guest from outside was included in the programme due to financial challenges, however, the event was graced by the presence of Nigerian model and actress Beverly Osu who made a special appearance and also handed out one of the awards.

“Because of a lack of sponsorship in some areas, we were not able to meet the needs of the international guests that we promised… this year, what we thought is how do we still give off a killer show to the audience and we focused more on the show itself,” she said. She thanked her team for putting together the event and rising above all the challenges that came their way in planning the event.

Performances followed a throwback theme with special performances by the 061 crew, Jackson Wahengo and the highlight of the night – Killa B. The singer, who has been absent from the public scene for many years now, gave a thrilling performance of his biggest hits – much to the delight of the crowd who rose to their feet and sang along to every song. Micheal Pulse was another memorable performer, paying homage to the home of theatre in Namibia by combining music and theatre in his stellar performance.

For those who are disgruntled about not winning, Ngaifiwa reminded them that all winners were based on votes. “Everybody is good at what they do, the winners were simply based on votes and no third party decides on the winners,” she said.

While some technical difficulties challenged some performers like Jackson Wahengo, and the lighting on the red carpet was a challenge for the media for a second year in a row, the event was undoubtedly successful and lived up to every standard of what an award show should be. Many who attended, took to social media to applaud the event organisers for a show well put together where Namibians celebrated their own celebrities in style.

The awards were hosted by the ever eloquent Josy Nghipandua on the main stage while rising media star Sally Jason hosted the red carpet.