PROPS
Well-Seasoned
Remi Weekes
As Black people, we add seasoning not only to our food, but also to award ceremonies with our unique style, flavour and grace. We’ve been around the block a few times so there’s not much left to surprise us that we might feel is overdue – or, to stretch the analogy, feel underdone. In 2021, the BAFTA and Academy Awards both made headlines for the diversity of their nominees. While, this time, the ceremonies evaded hashtags like #OscarsSoWhite, with 16 of the 24 actor nominations at the BAFTAs being people of colour, the stats did not necessarily translate into awards. Big wins on both sides of the pond included Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) and Judas and the Black Messiah (2020), with Daniel Kaluuya winning his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in the latter. Clear winner of this category, it does, however, beg the question of
why lead co-star LaKeith Stanfield was nominated in the same category – who exactly did Kaluuya do such a brilliant job of supporting? Nevertheless, Stanfield’s nomination contributed to the film’s five Academy Award nominations and became the first production in the Best Picture category with an entirely Black cast. More firsts came from Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson, who became the first Black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for their work on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The film also received awards for Best Costume Design but missed out on any acting awards. Neither Chadwick Boseman, who was selected posthumously for his first BAFTA and Academy Award in the Best Leading Actor category, nor Viola Davis were awarded the Academy Award for Best >> 35
