By: Foibe Shahepa
Adriano Visagie views hosting the Sotigui Awards, which he co-hosted for the second time in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from November 12 to 14, 2021, an honor.
“It’s a tremendous pleasure that they appreciate my work as an Academy member and allow an English speaker to co-host the Sotigui Awards,” he remarked.
The Sotigui Awards reward exceptional actors from throughout the continent, and Namibia has won the best actor Southern Africa prize for the past two years, with Shivute recently taking home the title for Namibia’s third “Best Actor Southern Africa 2021.
Visagie, who has hosted a number of corporate events, including Miss Namibia 2021, believes that this is a significant victory for Namibia as a nation. “This is important for Namibia because it puts us on the global map and opens up opportunities for the film to reach West Africa, as well as the Academy’s desire to reach Southern Africa, the African Diaspora, and Namibia,” he said.
He went on to say that he sees the Sotigui as a home for creatives, and that, like the Namibian Oscars, “this too is the African Oscars.” “There’s still a lot of work to be done, but there’s a lot of development being made in the field of African cinema,” he explained.
Visagie, who won the award for “Best Actor Southern Africa 2019” concludes that, despite the fact that this is the 6th edition of the Sotigui Awards, he had the incredible opportunity to meet, network, and represent Namibia.
“I remember meeting with Sello Maake kaNcube and Kofi Adjorlolo, who spoke so highly about Namibia that they stated it would be a place for them to shoot or work on their next project shortly,” he said.
