-nine to be honoured at ‘Orange the Runway’ on Sunday night

NINE persons have so far been confirmed as awardees in this Sunday’s “Orange the Runway Vol. 2”, which is said to be Guyana’s first all-inclusive arts and advocacy show.

The founder, Jamicia McCalman-Nelson feels as though she’s reintroducing the show to the Guyanese audience, since the first one was held in 2018 and had to be put on pause due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

This Sunday though, at 19:00 hours at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Jamicia will finally get an opportunity to put on her second show.

Feeling that creatives and activists are not recognised enough, Jamicia, in conceptualising the event, thought it was important to acknowledge persons in the industry for the work that they do.

Some 20 persons have been nominated in the various categories which include: Advocate of the Year, Activist of the Year, Arts Advocacy Award, Designer of the Year, and Emerging Designer of the Year.

For Advocate of the Year (Male), Bradley Downer, Nkosi Jupiter and Shazam Somwar are the three persons nominated. Anastasia Sanford, Denica Henry, Deondra Wishart, Marissa Foster and Orletta John have been nominated in Advocate of the Year (Female) category.

For the Activist of the Year Award, Amy Yong, Denica Henry and Anastasia Sanford are the nominees.

As for the Arts Advocacy Award (Female), Daniela Araujo, Nia Williams, Omaiah Hall, and Quanisha Patterson have been nominated.

Andrea Wilson, Mark Roy Junor, and Randy Madray have been nominated for the Designer of the Year Award.

The four nominees in the Emerging Designer of the Year category are Godlyn Lyte, Esther Samuels, Nachle Designs, and Roberto Teekah.

Announcement of award recipients will be made on the night of the show.

Speaking with Buzz this week, Jamicia reflected on how “Orange the Runway” came at a time when she was deciding what she wanted to do with her life.

“I think Orange the Runway represents Jamicia – a person who has been in the fashion industry as a model, creative director, creative, as an activist myself. It encompasses a lot of who I am,” she expressed.

She also had in mind creating a platform to show persons that the fashion industry is more than just about wearing nice clothing; “that we can use our art and creativity to heal hearts and bridge gaps.”

Jamicia had previously told this publication that the show is very near and dear to her heart because of her personal experience with being sexually abused at a young age.

She had added that after her return from a trip to Trinidad in 2018, she decided to challenge herself to make a difference in the lives of others, especially those who have experienced or are experiencing abuse.

The show which is themed, “Through the looking glass” is being held in honour of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.