27/04/2026
It's real. Us winning has sunk in!
We, Rita H and are truly moved, filled with joy and gratitude after receiving the Jackdaw Media Icon Award at Diva Awards 2026 last Friday.
This honour belongs not just to us, but to every LGBTQ+ person who has walked through the doors of Club Kali over the last three decades — dancing, healing, laughing, resisting, and finding family together.
We began this journey as two South Asian women in the 1980s, we faced racism, sexism, misogyny, prejudice each and every day. In our day jobs, in leadership, we were invisible, over looked, in our night life spaces, people like us didn’t belong, we didn't look right and often turned away. But we pushed through every barrier with a fierce belief that this was wrong, and we had to do something about it.
Club Kali started as a space, a club night, and became the home we never had, a powerful, vibrant, caring community which fought for it's space. A welcoming and safe space where everyone, regardless of their faith, language, and q***r identity was welcome. Where East meets West, on the dancefloor, through music, and through celebrations of diverse cultures, where generations have found safety, joy, freedom and liberation.
For 30+ years, we’ve held space for our beautifully intersectional community, celebrating identities that mainstream and main gay scene ignored. To see our South Asian heritage, our q***rness, our music, and our stories recognised on the Diva Awards stage, is profoundly moving.
Winning this award is a reminder that our stories matter, our communities matter, and we will continue to build on our legacy, with kindness and care, with passion and power, remain resilient and sparkle in colourful Kali style, brighter, bolder, and dance into many more decades.
Thanks and gratitude to all our supporters inc the team , DIVA Magazine, , MsPhyll Opoku, Jackdaw Media PR and everyone behind the scenes, our friends, volunteers, and community over 30+years!
Raga Olga D'silva - , Nics Going Global, Manju Patel-Nair, , , , Sakib Khan