Weighing in on the Miss South Africa dilemma involving Soweto-born model, Chidimma Adetshina, News Central’s Jasiri hosts; Blessings Mosugu, Katherine Obiang and Anee Icha described the situation as unfortunate.
Anee Icha pointed out that the incident emphasised the xenophobic attitudes of some South Africans towards Nigerians. She also mentioned that there is an underlying animosity between Nigerians and South Africans, which she believes is indicative of a larger problem.
“I think Africa as a continent has a self-hate problem, and we project that self-hate out in different ways: bleaching our skin, preferring to have other kinds of hair, the way we give more importance to things white people do or say.
In your own country, a white person has a lot more respect, power and prestige than you do.”
She added that due to our history, many Africans have not fully recovered from the pain of past events. This has resulted in feelings of self-hate, which are often projected onto others instead of being addressed directly.
Addressing the issue of African origin, Katherine Obiang said “White does not represent Africa”.
Blessings Mosugu pointed out that the name of the current Miss South Africa, Mia Le Roux, who is white-skinned, doesn’t sound African either.
Adetshina, a 23-year-old Miss South Africa finalist of Nigerian heritage, faced xenophobic abuse on social media, casting doubt on her eligibility. Following the controversy, the Home Affairs ministry investigated Adetshina’s citizenship, revealing evidence suggesting that her mother may have committed fraud. As a result, Adetshina withdrew from the competition.
Adetshina was born in 2001 in Soweto at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital to a Nigerian father, and a Mozambican mother, though some sources claim that her mother is allegedly a Zulu South African.
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