WINDHOEK – Queen Avula is an ambitious woman and a go-getter, who believe in maturity, relevance and self-respect. “I’m happy around flexible, open minded and free spirited souls, especially the less sensitive ones, and those who wish to learn through positive criticism,” says Avula.
A Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC)’s Multi-Media Producer, Avula is also the executive director of her own company, Queentique Investment cc. Sales Marketing is her passion. Queen was born in the country’s diamond town, Oranjemund and raised in the capital, Windhoek. At an early age, Avula describes her late dad as a superman. “He was like a shield to the family, we were not directly exposed to the firing guns and bombs. The smart man was our shield. He had a home in Oranjemund and the north, before we moved to Windhoek, a famously known house called Pinkhouse, where I was bred,” says Avula.
Always resisting the boredom of her schoolmates and others, Avula says she participated in everything that ever existed, some church group, and some leadership skills group. “I went to school every day, and liked being in school because I was simply occupied. I was curious, so I was just busy.” Exposed to so much love, support and everything she ever wanted, Avula says the storm hit their home when their pillar (her father) passed on untimely and the tides had to change directions.
“I was barely seven years old when he passed on. We did not understand death then, but obviously, there was a difference between the usual happy ceremonies and the cold wave,” she says. Because Avula was so curious and always available in almost everything, she put the past behind her and started living her dreams to pass her school. “I am always selected to represent the class or school at any platform. I was disciplined and my English was on point. By the way, English was the easiest subject for me, so I enjoyed reading, writing and just speaking it,” she says.
Her motivation to success has been “Laziness is a luxurious mindset that I cannot afford to own”. “So my drive was curiosity, the willingness to know and learn different things each day. I mean I just felt I needed to know a whole lot of things, from the time the day started, to the day it ended.”
While still young, Avula used to work for the United Nation’s shelf projects where she was trained as a facilitator for My Future is My Choice, facilitating HIV and AIDS education in schools countrywide. “I ended up being a trainer for the advanced HIV and AIDS education to employ fellow youth,” she says.
Avula attended the Peoples Primary School (PPS), and finished at the Ella Du Plessis High School. After Grade 12, she had a year gap and taught pre-primary school children at her mother’s kindergarten, where she developed love for children. She enrolled at the University of Namibia (Unam) the next year, first for a Diploma in Information Studies (IS) and then continued to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Media Studies, with a second major in Industrial Psychology. “I have attended several short courses and received a number of certificates and testimonies from different educational institutions.”
Apart from her current profession and projects, Avula is busy producing the radio part of the Sunshine Club Radio show which talks to children aged 6 to 12. “Through this programme, we entertain both the child and the parent.”
Her achievements so far are being elected to represent Namibia in many international conferences and that just advanced her passion for adventure. She was elected a youth activist to represent Namibia at the Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) where they were engaged with matters concerning the economy, politics, health, and education, some of the recommendations thereof which they implemented in Namibia through the National Youth Council (NYC). “I got exposed to different countries through transiting and my passion for travelling was enhanced. Travelling is important because it fundamentally transforms us.”
She has been to countries such as Botswana, South Africa and many others. Expanding Queentique Investment cc, assisting at her mother’s Zanele Mbeki Private School, assisting to expand her partner’s business, finishing off constructing her house, establishing a company that takes care of the lost prospective souls, or vulnerable orphans, are also some of her achievements so far. “I also want to expand my consultations by sharing and engaging my network, where community members get first hand help in writing job application letters in English, writing long and short phrases to market their business, while teaching them a bit of English,” she says.