By Staff Reporter
IT WAS a Friday evening in east London.
It was getting dark and chilly. A snaking queue of excited people is forming outside the grand Royal Regency Hall in Manor Park.
Security was at the gate, checking tickets and issuing wrist bands. Inside, the hall was even grander, with huge golden chandeliers hanging from the decorated high ceilings. Beautiful African vibes filled the hall.
It was the Grand Finale of the Miss Africa Great Britain 2021.
A total of 17 finalists from 17 African countries were competing that night and one of them was going to be crowned the Miss Africa GB 2021, not an easy task based on the lineup. The young ladies competed in three rounds: traditional wear, swimwear, and evening gown. The judges had a tough time choosing the winner that night.
On this night, the ultimate winner of the coveted prize was Alima Ndiaye from Senegal. The 1st runner-up was Venessa Njoki from Kenya and 2nd runner-up was Shade Yesufu from Nigeria. There were winners as well for other categories like Miss Charity, Miss Popularity, and Best Cultural Wear.
Miss Africa GB was founded in 2011 and it is a pageant that delivers a platform to young African ladies born or living in the United Kingdom “to showcase not only their beauty but most importantly their culture, talent, and creativity.”
The finale is held in October, coinciding with Black History Month.
The crowned “queen” of the pageant becomes the goodwill ambassador for Miss Africa GB, working with charities helping those in needy and transforming humanity. These charities are based in the UK and Africa.
The 2020 Miss Africa GB, Chinyanta Kabaso from Zambia, worked with a charity called Noah Mapalo. Noah Mapalo teaches girls how to make sanitary pads for sale and they pay their school fees with the money from the sales. Chinyanta also helped to renovate a primary school in the Copperbelt of Zambia.
The newly crowned queen has a huge passion for the education of underprivileged children and will be focusing on this important task during her reign. Miss Africa GB Director, Dele Onabowu, highlighted how the charitable work carried out by the winners of the pageant over the past ten years has touched many people’s lives both here in the UK and in Africa.
Asked why Diaspora Insurance sponsored the Miss Africa GB 2021, Executive Director of Diaspora Insurance, Dr. Sibert Mandega, explained that Diaspora Insurance being a pan African firm serving African diasporas where ever they are, Diaspora Insurance is a natural fit with Miss Africa Great Britain.
Diaspora Insurance believes in and supports programs and organisations that unite Africans in the diaspora. He further explained that platforms like the Miss Africa GB give African diasporas the ecosystem to celebrate our Africanness, creativity, and uniqueness.
Dr. Mandega concluded by saying that Diaspora Insurance, not only does it positively transform people’s lives through its products and services, but also through partnerships with organisations like Miss Africa GB that support charities back home in Africa.
Diaspora Insurance is a firm that specializes in the designing, marketing, and distribution of insurance products targeted at foreign nationals living and working in countries in the USA, UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, Middle East, and South Africa. Their leading brand is the bespoke Diaspora Funeral Cash Plan that pays immediate cash to meet end-of-life expenses and gives members to cover their loved ones where ever they are in the world.
It was a great night, reminding us Africans that we are bound by the blood of the motherland that courses through our veins.
www.diasporainsurance.com
