Last year, Kenyan content creator and internet comedienne from Nairobi, Kenya Elsa Majimbo (20) scooped the sought-after title of African Social Star of 2020 at the E! People’s Choice Awards while Bonang Matheba was voted the African Influencer of the Year in 2019.
For the third time in the history of the awards, the People's Choice Awards have once again opened a category dedicated to Africa with the African Social Star of 2021 with eight contenders in the running. LGBTQ activist and YouTuber Lasizwe Dambuza; actress, musician and entrepreneur Boity Thulo; make-up artist and beauty influencer Mihlali Ndamase and TikTok sensation Witney Ramabulana are all nominated.
Nominated from across the continent are Nigerian rapper and actor Falz; Kenyan TikTok star Azziad Nasenya; Zimbabwean comedian Tyra Chikocho AKA Madam Boss and self-empowerment advocate Sofiyat Ibrahim AKA The Odditty from Nigeria.
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The nominees are thrilled to have made it to the list, Boity says, “Receiving this nomination is honestly a dream come true! I feel so honoured that the work that I do is being celebrated on such a massive platform. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!”
Social media content creator, Lasizwe Dambuza says if he wins the award will be dedicated to his fans, “This nomination is not for me, it’s for the fans - it’s for the sweeries! Finally, the sweeries can come together and do what they do best, they can do the most. This nomination is for my fans and only my fans.”
Beauty influencer Mihlali Ndamase says “It’s truly a fortunate moment for me to be nominated for this award on such a prestigious platform. Hopefully, we’ll take this one home, it isn’t for me alone but for other creatives that need to fight for recognition and respect in the entertainment space.”
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How to Vote:
E! is engaging fans worldwide to vote in 40 categories across TV, music, movies, and pop culture. The voting window will begin on 27 October and run through 17 November, on http://www.votepca.com/af or Twitter.
Fans can vote up to 25 times per day, per category, per method (voting website and Twitter). On 9 November, the votes will count as double, equalling up to a maximum of 50 votes per category, per voting method. For Twitter votes: posts must be public to count. Posts count as a vote if the category hashtag (#AfricanSocialStar) and a corresponding nominee hashtag are used together in the same post.
