Dusty Orange Projects (Dope) Executive Director Sharmila Elias said on Thursday that she is honoured to be one of the recipients of the 2025 fourth Women of Substance Awards (Wosa) in the Arts and Culture category recently.
Elias leads Dope, an organisation dedicated to driving social and economic growth through the transformative power of arts and culture and is behind the annual Lake of Stars (LoS) Festival.
As a natural creative and inspirational leader, Elias said it gets better when the arts and culture sector is recognised for its strides that includes promoting tourism in the country.
“The Wosa recognition is huge and in recognising me in the arts and culture sector is a testimony of what the sector is doing in the country as regards development. There are lots of female artists doing so much on the ground and they need to be valued and rewarded,” she said.
With over 20 years of experience spanning travel, tourism and the creative industries, Elias has played key roles in conservation, eco-tourism and festival and film production.
“I dedicate this award to all the women, who have helped me achieve my shine, from my family to everyone I surround myself with, now and in the future. All adversities build strong resilience. We are all winners,” she said.
Elias said she never saw the award coming and that it has motivated her to do more.
“I never saw it coming. My passion was to only give and see young people succeed without all the struggles I went through. However, it is important to walk the journey as it is presented and remain steadfast. Awards help us recognise our worth,” she said.
Elias encouraged young women and men to keep reaching for the stars.
Wosa honours and celebrates strong, powerful and inspirational women, who have made exceptional achievements, positive influence and produced path-breaking results in their respective sectors, society and the community as a whole.
In another development, Elias has said LoS which returned to the fold last year after a three-year hiatus debuting in Nkhotakota District, will make its announcement about the venue and dates for this year later this month.
“We are ready to go again with LoS this year and we will be making an announcement at the end of this month,” she said.
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