Imanni da Silva (born 1981) is an Angolan model, human rights activist and visual artist, who is the first transgender model from the African continent. She has competed in several beauty pageants, and now is also a judge in them. In 2023 she was awarded 'Personality of the Year' in the Queer People Awards.
Imanni Da Silva | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981 (age 42–43) Luanda |
| Occupation(s) | Model, artist, activist |
| Years active | 2012 to today |
| Awards | Personality of the Year - Queer People Awards (2023) |
Career
editDa Silva is a model, artist and human rights activist, who is considered the first transgender model on the African continent.[1][2] She has competed in a range of beauty contests, such as competing in the Miss International Queen in Thailand in 2012.[3][4] In 2018, Da Silva was a contestant in the Super Sireyna Worldwide, where she was placed 1st Runner-Up.[3][5] She was a judge for Miss Grand Angola 2023.[6] She was the inaugural winner of 'Personality of the Year' at the Queer People Awards in 2023.[7]
In 2018, Da Silva opened her first solo art exhibition, which addressed women as the creative centre of the fifteen paintings on display.[3][8] In 2022 she was a contributing artist to the exhibition Expressão Feminina which took place at the Brazilian Cultural Centre in Angola.[9]
Da Silva has been outspoken about the impact of the transphobic attacks she has suffered throughout her career; she is an active voice advocating against violence, including physical violence, suffered by transgender people, both in Angola and elsewhere.[10][11] She leads the Angolan transgender rights movement Movimento Eu Sou Trans, which was founded on 31 March 2019.[12] She has also spoken out on how transgender people are hypersexualised by many societies, and links this sexualisation with social disrespect.[13]
Personal life
editDa Silva began her gender transition in 2007 with hormone therapy, and in 2011 she underwent gender-affirming surgery in England.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Imanni". Hedonist Magazine London. 2015-08-08. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ Investigador, Sérgio Dundão (2021-12-29). "Como se o mundo não tivesse… demarcação". O Jornal Económico (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ a b c "Imanni da Silva expõe no CCP - Camões em Angola". Voice of America (in Portuguese). 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Imani da Silva celebra mudança de sexo – DIVO". web.archive.org. 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Imanni Da Silva 1ª Dama de Honor Super Sireyna Worldwide 2018 - PlatinaLine" (in European Portuguese). 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Comité do Miss Grand Angola realiza primeira edição do concurso no pa…". archive.ph. 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ Kanga, David (2023-12-31). "Uma audiência com a personalidade LGBT+ do ano 2023, Imanni da Silva: "houve a criminalização da homofobia mas precisa existir sobre a Transfobia"". queerpeople (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Transexual Imanni da Silva representará Angola no concurso internacional de beleza nas filipinas". 24 April 2018. Archived from the original on 20 November 2024.
- ^ "Exhibition "Expressão Feminina"". VerAngola. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ Naranjo, José (2019-02-06). "El largo camino de Angola hacia la despenalización de la homosexualidad". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Imanni da Silva desabafa sobre ataques homofóbicos à mulheres transexuais: "É nosso dever respeitar a vida humana" - PlatinaLine" (in European Portuguese). 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Eu Sou Trans: o movimento angolano que trabalha pela liberdade". UNDP (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Imanni Da Silva diz que as pessoas hipersexualizam LGBT: "Associam-nos muito a sexo" - PlatinaLine" (in European Portuguese). 2023-05-03. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ ANGOLA, REDE (2015-01-14). "Imanni da Silva, única modelo transexual em África". Rede Angola - Notícias independentes sobre Angola. Retrieved 2024-11-20.