Entertainment Now!’s Aletta Shikololo this week gauged the public’s views on the Miss Namibia pageant and why only one Namibian was crowned Miss Universe in the history of the pageant. 

Joviita Kandjumbwa
“Miss Namibia is a full-time glamourous title and they have tried hard to keep up with the glamour. So, they need money, as it will release some of the burden on Miss Namibia and they need support. The Miss Namibia organisation has to be fully behind Miss Namibia and just make sure they have the reigning Miss Namibia’s back and just make sure she is comfortable in her year of reign.”

Jacqui Shipanga

“I personally think that Namibian beauty queens don’t progress in Miss Universe probably because of the biasness of the international judges. On the other hand, everything is competition. It might also be because of the preparation of our ladies because one of the challenges in Namibia is we expect results but do we put in effort to get those results? Do we enable our ladies to have the necessary confidence and be able to answer questions? Namibia should become a society where we support the journey and not only the destination. They must be mentored and given the necessary confidence to be able to compete for the world’s crown and people should also listen to them to hear their agendas.”

Hilda Basson-Namundjebo

I have judged Miss Namibia quite a few times and I have also hosted it for some time. And, even though I don’t want to join the controversy in the Miss Namibia beauty pageant, we have problems and we have been having these problems for a long time. We should have fixed these problems a long time ago. Honestly, I have always been concerned about the presence of the South Africans in regards to the organisation of the pageants. I know the people well myself. I do rehearsals because if you do Miss Namibia you need a couple of rehearsals. So, I know the team I have worked with. I know the clothing and designers are South Africans, and that has always been my challenge. It was not completely something local to empower all Namibians and maybe that is where the problems are. So, basically, when they organise the competition, they must first look at capable Namibian designers, filmmakers and so forth and make it a truly team Namibia effort, rather than things of, ‘It is Miss Namibia but things are run as if Namibia is a fifth province of South Africa’ type of approach. For the sake of honesty, when I judged Miss Namibia, there have been times when I was surprised as the people who watch Miss Namibia. Like literally, the judges will be sitting next to one another and I will be like “What! Did you judge for her to win?” and another judge goes like “No, I didn’t.” We are surprised, as judges, to see who wins because we score individually and another judge scores individually and somewhere there is a maculation of points and then you all with the interest of the country say ‘This is our Miss Namibia’ and that is also one of the challenges that applies to all aspects of Miss Namibia.

Aili Iilonga

 “We should create a Namibian pageant, whereby Namibians know how things should be done the Namibian way and not try to copy outsiders. We also need to find ways to promote our pageants to compete at international standards. Last time we won the crown internationally was in the 1990s, which is a long time back. So, to get the crown back, we need to support our ladies. Funds can sometimes also be a contributing factor to why our ladies don’t win in Miss Universe. Sometimes when they become beauty queens, doors will open for them in terms of the pop culture industry and entertainment but sometimes funds hold them back. They must know how to use their beauty to get what they want.”

Romario Barker

“I think Miss Namibia is an excellent competition and it gives opportunities to girls to express their beauties. So, I don’t really know if there’s anything that needs improvement. Even though I don’t really know much about the pageant, I believe that Miss Universe is not just an African thing based on the few competitions that I have seen.”

Monika Pinehas

“I think the whole pageant is just a population-related issue. It is the same with any other artist in Namibia. I can relate, as an artist, because it is difficult for us to make it the way everyone assumes we need to make it. The population does not allow us to make it to that level and the same applies to Namibian beauty queens. The Namibian beauty pageants just need support. I think they are not supported enough. When it comes to Namibian beauty, fashion and so forth, it’s only support needed to make it far.”

Tangi Junias

“I definitely think the Miss Namibia beauty pageant needs improvement because we believe that it is one of the biggest beauty pageants in Namibia and, therefore, people put a lot of effort in participating in it and watching it. So, I think they should advertise more so that it cannot only be like ‘If I don’t become Miss Namibia, my hope is lost’ but where people can be like ‘If I join Miss Namibia, I still have hope of being opened to a number of opportunities’. When they attend Miss Universe, they must be properly coached and mentored and know that they are not going to compete nationally, neither continentally but internationally, so they should be given all the required skills to make it.”

Dino

“What needs to change in Miss Namibia beauty pageants is probably their choice of beauty queens or also instead of choosing the beauty queens based on their answers, they must chose based on their modelling skills and throughout the season they can be coached on how to answer questions. A person that is qualified in modelling, especially when it comes to how they handle themselves on stage, is likely to be in the top five in Miss Universe and chances of getting the crown are high.”

Chilala Kane

“First of all, our beauty queens are not determined on what they are doing because they are not properly coached. That already needs improvement. The only way they can make it in Miss Universe is if they prove to the country that they are really capable of representing the nation. Charity begins at home, so they must work really hard on their modelling skills while they are competing nationally so that they can be ready to compete internationally.”

Courtney Ndana

“They must first improve on how their beauty pageants are broadcasted. Their broadcasting is of poor quality and they really need to work on that. Our beauty queens also do not get the Miss Universe crown because they are not exposed enough. Namibian beauty pageants are not really that broad enough for someone to come out and become Miss Universe.” 

Doreen Mubita

“Referring to the recent Miss Namibia controversy, I believe that the Miss Namibia organisation must work on how they support the ladies. Even when I see the Miss Universe beauty pageant, I see many things going on that I don’t see in Namibia. Even the way international beauty queens model, it is quite different from the way ours model and I think we should also look into that and improve on it. Our girls also don’t get physical support when they attend Miss Universe. I think the presence of supporters at Miss Universe can also positively contribute to how they perform on stage. They also need support in all aspects be it emotional, financial and whatever necessary support they would need.”

Michela Pakarae

“I think the Miss Namibia organisation must support their ladies for them to make it to Miss Universe. The support they get is probably not enough to get them to a certain level like all other international beauty queens. They need to be properly trained and mentored to be fit emotionally and physically to compete internationally. Miss Universe is not a plaything like Miss Namibia. I think Miss Namibia is such a joke, especially after what happened to Miss Namibia 2018 and how all other winners came out to say the truth. Imagine winning Miss Namibia and you are not supported enough, how do you really expect to win among international models that are well trained and supported by their countries?”

Barbara Iita

“Personally, as a model, I want to take part in Miss Namibia 2020 but I am quite demotivated because of what happened to previous winners. Change needs to happen in the Miss Namibia beauty pageant because it is losing its value. Many people are not interested in Miss Namibia anymore except for aspiring models. Miss Namibia has to regain its value and do what is right because it will end up like the Namibian Annual Music Awards. If one is to win the Miss Namibia crown, they are obviously expected to participate in international pageants and from what I have read, some have used their own money to fulfil Miss Namibia’s mission and they do not receive the money they deserve. How does one expect Namibia to make it in Miss Universe when they are being treated unfairly? They need to be supported and guided for them to make it far.”

Kristiana

“I think Miss Namibia is a great platform for our Namibian models, however, it was supposed to be an organisation that gets help from the government. So, the government also can support the ladies. So, I personally think the organisation is not at it’s best standard, which has contributed to the models not winning the Miss Universe crown. I think some of them just got out there without knowing anything about international pageants.  I can also just enter now but I don’t know what is going on. So,I think they should be properly guided on what to expect in international pageants.”

Victoria Hashiyana

“I think the Miss Namibia beauty pageant is a good initiative. The problem is maybe with the models. Namibia does not maybe have models fit enough to compete at international stages. So, before we blame the organisation, we should also ask ourselves if the models are determined and competent enough. I also think our models don’t make it to Miss Universe because they are not competent enough. And it is a competition. So, obviously, there should always be one winner, maybe their time of winning again has not arrived.” 

Mr Banana

“The Miss Namibia beauty pageant is one of the greatest events that the country has and we should support it. The lack of support and corruption are the main things that stop our ladies from progressing in Miss Universe.”