Being crowned as the official contender among a sea of promising women for the hallowed Miss Universe title, must of course make for an exhilarating moment. This however, comes after an incredibly trying few months for Miss Universe Nigeria victoria, Chidimma Adetshina who seemingly had the odds perpetually stacked against her. For those not clued into the seething controversy taking the South African beauty pageant network by storm, there is a lot to decode when it comes to the odd barrage of reactions which had been targeted at the Miss Universe hopeful.
What was the issue?
Very simply, Chidimma's dual citizenship status. Chidimma was born to a Nigerian father and was brought up in South Africa. Having grown up there, one would assume there would be no complications when it came to her participation for Miss South Africa. This however, is far from the truth. Though she was selected as finalist in the Miss South Africa pageant earlier this year in July, in a truly rare occurrence, she withdrew her participation. The reason cited by her in her Instagram post announcing the decision, was consideration for the "safety and well being of (her) family and (her)". This was motivated by the consistent barrage of virtual brickbats Chidimma found herself at the receiving end of. The bone of contention in this matter was the fact that she had Nigerian heritage and was competing for a crown which would be representing South Africa.
While many would assume her dream to have been shattered, Chidimma was presented the same opportunity, albeit from the country of Nigeria. The very next day, she received an invite from the organizers of the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant to come participate. The intention behind the same, was to provide Chidimma the chance to "represent her father's native land on the international stage". Chidimma ended up winning the chance she took, a victory that represents modern Africa's willingness to move past the deeply-rooted xenophobia which robbed the beauty queen of her chance to be crowned Miss South Africa.
The plot thickens
{{/usCountry}}While many would assume her dream to have been shattered, Chidimma was presented the same opportunity, albeit from the country of Nigeria. The very next day, she received an invite from the organizers of the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant to come participate. The intention behind the same, was to provide Chidimma the chance to "represent her father's native land on the international stage". Chidimma ended up winning the chance she took, a victory that represents modern Africa's willingness to move past the deeply-rooted xenophobia which robbed the beauty queen of her chance to be crowned Miss South Africa.
The plot thickens
{{/usCountry}}Chidimma may have already gotten down to preparing for her impending Miss Universe journey, but the nationality row is still going strong in the background. As per her responses to local media, Chidimma was born in Soweto, with her father being Nigerian and her mother being a South African of Mozambican descent. She grew up in Cape Town. While this does award the 23-year-old South African citizenship, as is the case for anyone born to a South African parent or permanent resident post-1995, anti-foreigner sentiments is what drove Chidimma to exit from the Miss South Africa pageant owing to her Nigerian heritage. An investigation by the South African Department of Home Affairs hinted at some issues which may have been present with her mother's acquisition of South African citizenship.
Do you think Chidimma has been dealt a fair hand in the unfolding drama?