IN what promises to be a night of fashion extravaganza, organisers of the annual Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards (RoilBAA) have engaged the services of top South Africa’s socialites to be part of the fashion police at this year’s ceremony set for tomorrow at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre in Bulawayo.
The Mzansi’s duo of Thulasizwe “Lasizwe” Dambuza and Lindani The Stylist will be “arresting fashion criminals” at the awards’ red carpet starting at 16:00. The awards ceremony will be held under the theme The Seven Completion. The awards organisers made the announcement at the nominees’ dinner and certification ceremony held on Tuesday in Bulawayo.
“Our stylist arrived from South Africa this morning where she had gone to put together a team of the fashion police. The RoilBAA has gone international this time around and we have roped in Lasizwe.
“The viewers will also be able to vote and contribute to the magical night of glitz and glamour. This is our seventh year and biblically it is the number of completion, so we are going full throttle,” the awards director Saimon Mambazo-Phiri said.
One of the awards headline sponsors, United Refineries, will have its last dance at this year’s awards.
“You can imagine something like your wife telling you that from next year she will not be with you. So, we want to do something special to honour them (United Refineries) and persuade them not to leave.
“We appreciate them and all our sponsors for believing in and supporting the arts industry of Bulawayo,” he said.
Mambazo-Phiri in an earlier interview had told NewsDay Life & Style that this year’s edition takes a slightly different shape from the previous ones.
“As the Bible says, “on the seventh day, he rested”, so as our seventh edition, we take it as the year of completion,” he noted.
He said this year’s awards would be different as there would be no voting for individual awards.
Rather, everyone is eligible for a people's choice award which will be voted for on the awards website.
The voting began on November 12 and closed yesterday ahead of the announcement of the top 10 to compete for the People’s Choice Award. This award will be voted for through a ballot by the audience on the day of the awards at the venue. The People’s Choice Award winner will get a car.
Nominees under the Outstanding Dance Ensemble category are Sekunjalo Ma Afrika, Ezimnyama Dance Ensemble, Simunye Simunye Arts and Iyasa.
Musawenkosi Sibanda (Simunye), Charmaine Mudau (Simunye), Bonakele Agnes Ncube (3 Sum) have been nominated under Outstanding Theatre Actress.
Outstanding Comedian nominees are Mbongeni Ignatius, Dalu The Comedian, Umnikazi Wempuphu and Mahlalela Mahlalela.
Wheelspinners Nitefreak, Kead Wicked, Dj Sida and Nizhe De Soul are nominated under the Outstanding Club Dj category. The Outstanding Model category features Francisco Kampira, Stacey Hall, Jemimwa Mandemwa Amanda, Peresu Moyo and Liberty Malala.
Sithandazile Dube (Madlela Comes Home), Florence Sithole (Ihlazo), Nonduduzo Ncube (Usendo/Maliwe) were nominated under the Outstanding Film/Tv Actress category.
