Miss Namibia under the previous director Connie Maritz was straight cow dung. I hated every pageant staged by Connie and her team since my earliest recollection. And I have been around hey, nothing about the pageant under the previous director reflected the true essence of Namibian society. 

Year in, year out… I criticised the pageant, and how it appeared to be for a select few. Take a second or two and thank your Maker that we do not have to deal with such nonsense anymore. 

Steps in the NBC under the leadership of the charismatic Ousi Umbi Karuaihe-Upi and the pageant finally looks like the national event it ought to be. Ousi Umbi and her team are two years into it and her leadership blessed us with a Top 20 finish at Miss Universe and a second runner-up for Miss Teen International.

As a patriot who is obsessed with my country and its identity, I am at my happiest! Thank you Ousi Umbi and the NBC management for saving us from the boring, dull, and stale reality under the previous director. The 2024 edition of the pageant was simply magnificent. 

It had all the right elements that had this whole country talking last weekend.

Namibian pride was on full display from the onset until the last minute of the pageant. Everything was intentionally designed to celebrate the Namibian identity. 

The fashion was a reflection of the Namibian house. The music highlighted the Namibian identity. The hosting town reflected the Namibian identity. The diversity of the hosts on the night was the epitome of who we are as a society. The choreography was reminiscent of the Namibian way of life.

For that… I give it 10 out of 10. However, because this pageant is essentially “new”, there will be a few things that left much to be desired. In our quest for perfection, I would be a hypocrite if I did not point out a few critiques. 

My criticism might just be what the new team needs to get to a level never seen before in this country.

The pageant unfortunately was too long. Ousi Umbi and the team need to be honest about the unnecessary elements that prolonged the ceremony. Allow me to finger one of the unnecessary elements… the interviews highlighting the sponsors. That was an overkill. What makes it worse is that the people representing these companies are not always the greatest of personas on camera. A majority of the people who represented their companies during those interviews were dead-smack annoyingly boring.

I appreciate and love the fact that corporate Namibia jumped on and fully supported a Namibian project. However, it was just too much. Miss Namibia runs the risk of losing the entertainment value with the overkill of thanking the sponsors.

The funny thing is… if Ousi Umbi and the team continue with this trend, the same sponsors will pull out if they realise that Namibians are bored or do not care about the pageant anymore. There’s only so much one can do in making “we thank the sponsors” consumable.Interview sponsors at the beginning of the show on the red carpet. Get it over and done with and let the rest of the show continue. If sponsors need more mileage… then NBC can always offer airtime spread throughout the month en route to the pageant finals.

Lastly, we cannot send an empty head to an international pageant. If we are to have a queen who will aggressively compete against the world’s best at international events, we will need to apply tough love at home by fielding tougher questions during the Q and A sessions for the top five. The 2024 questions were flimsy and light.

Miss Namibia essentially should have a deep understanding of Namibian society, and the policies that govern it as a whole. She should be an intellect. The top five need to be quizzed about hardcore issues that Namibians deal with on a daily basis. I don’t want to hear about what motivates you or who your inspiration is? We want to know about the potential new queen’s thoughts on the high unemployment rate, the boy child being left behind, tribalism…etc. That’s my only critique, apart from that…Miss Namibia 2024 was pure excellence! On that note, catch the latest episode of #IndustryLoop the Podcast with Ann Singer on “New Era Live” on YouTube. And yes…she also shed some light on Mushe. *Clears throat*. Don’t forget to leave a comment or share your thoughts on socials using the hashtag #IndustryLoop.

Until the next Loop, we say #GMTM

Need an MC? I’m YOUR guy. Hit me up…naobebsekind@gmail.com