Face of Africa: Can Kenya measure up?
Diana Nekoye
Elegant, sassy and standing proudly at a height of 5’8’’, beautiful Diana Nekoye, 22, is the girl who will be carrying the hope of the nation at the Mnet Face of Africa competitions.
The 4th year Bachelor of Commerce student at Kenyatta University majoring in Marketing is hoping to strut her stuff where no other Kenyan before her has catwalked, winning the prestigious Mnet Face of Africa. “Getting to the grand finale has been really tough and I believe the judges have kept me there because they believe in me just like I believe in myself,” Diana, who comes across as being very precise to details, told Buzz.
Her graceful journey started last year when MNET put the call to aspiring models meeting the strict Face of Africa criteria to submit entries. More than 200 Kenyan hopefuls auditioned but only five were selected. Even then, their pictures had to be taken to a professional panel in South Africa alongside those from participating countries across Africa. “The panel in South Africa chose Diana Kemunto and I but that was just the beginning of the journey,” she explained.
From there on 24 models from across Africa went to a boot camp in Mombasa where they went through some rigors training. At the end, 12 contestants including Kemunto were dropped. The remaining dozen proceeded to Johannesburg for further training and familiarity with designers before they travelling to Dar-es-salam where they participated at the Swahili Fashion Week.
In Johannesburg and Dar, the 12 models had a true brush with class. They were featured in a video for the song ‘Fall in Love’ by Nigerian star artiste D’banj in Johannesburg while in Dar they met and modelled with supermodel Naomi Campbell. It was a dream come true for many of them.
“She is such a lovely person and very helpful contrary to what you read in the media. She only started cracking up when the media was on her case all through,” recalled Diana about the supermodel. In Dar, two models were shown the door and Diana, again met all the high standards and took her spot at the finals from where she stands a chance of a lifetime.
Diana, who has been nicknamed “Simbaress” (Lioness); says Kenya is her favourite place because it is “peaceful, beautiful, exotic and friendly”. She names her parents as her role models as they have influenced her life and they practice what they preach. “He says there are no short-cuts in life, we get what we deserve,” she says of her father.
On her experience in FOA so far, Diana says the best thing is meeting her age mates from different countries and the modelling discipline the scouts and judges have instilled on the contestants. To relax, Diana listens to her iPod, dancing and singing along and she also enjoys knitting, braiding, driving and swimming.
Can she give Kenya her first win? “Having come so far, I think everyone has a chance. I don’t see why I shouldn’t be the one on that trip to the US and with the modelling contract,” she said confidently. A cash prize of $50,000 (Sh4 million) together with a modelling contract with “O Models Africa” and trip to the New York Fashion Week are just some of the perks awaiting whoever walks away the winner next month.
In the 10 years that the competition, considered the most lucrative in the continent, no Kenyan model has managed to win the crown. Those have like Nigeria’s Oluchi Ogweagba, Kaone Kario and Ventantia Otto have seen their lives transform. Oluchi is now ranked as one of the A-list models in the world.
During last year’s search, Ghanaian Kate Tachie-Mensah, in her second attempt walked away the proud winner and her life has been on the up and up. Many fashion industry insiders think Nekoye has what it takes to give Kenya her first win in the prestigious pageant.
Publicist Phillip Oketch of Oxygen Media says that Diana is special and she has done so well to come so far. “She is Kenya’s best contestant at the Face of Africa ever. We have hope in Lagos,” said Phillip. Biola Alabi, managing director of M-Net, said “M-Net Face of Africa is one of the best platforms for an African girl to realise her dream of becoming a supermodel.
