Namibian beauty with a heart of gold
For Erika Kazombaruru, pageantry is more than just being a pretty face, but giving back and empowering the community.
Mariselle Stofberg
With style, glitz and a touch of glamour, the beautiful Erika Kazombaruru, who was recently crowned Beauty of Africa International, is making waves in the modelling and pageant industry.
But the magic to Kazombaruru is the heart behind the beautiful face.
“Before I was crowned, my heart has always belonged to charity. The crown placed on my head did not change my heart at all. With the crown, I’m continuing to do what I love the most, which is helping in my community.”
Kazombaruru is passionate about educating young girls on health and hygiene, especially when it comes to menstrual health.
“I visit schools with the #KeepAGirlInSchool project that aims to donate sanitary pads and educate young girls on health and hygiene.”
She believes pageants are a learning curve that teaches you to never give up or lose hope. “I failed twice at pageants I entered, but that didn’t stop me. And I hope through my journey, I can empower one or two young girls. I love telling people that a door was shut in my face when I ended up just as a semi-finalist for Miss Namibia 2021, but another door opened and I was crowned Beauty of Africa International 2021 right after.”
There is another big international pageant in the pipeline for Kazombaruru, but she is determined to remain focused on the responsibilities she has now.
Currently, she is also a student, pursuing a bachelor of nursing science degree, which takes up a lot of her time.
“I do pageants when I’m free from school and the good thing about pageants is that you can prepare at any time. I balance pageantry with school work by allowing myself to take a step back when I’m not emotionally and physically available for pageants. But at the end of the day, I love what I do and I find a way to do what I love,” she added.
Kazombaruru said the pageantry world in Namibia is still something that is yet to be fully understood, utilised and valued.
“As much we think we know pageants in Namibia, we actually don’t. There’s a few of us who understand pageants in Namibia and for every young girl who wants to start doing pageants, I advise they do research on what they truly want to do, whether it’s runway or beauty competition. They must be ready to face obstacles and challenges that can come their way. Any young girl who wants to do pageants can do it if they set their mind to it. They should enter a pageant with a mindset of learning and embracing new opportunities along their journey.”
She said it is important that the country believes in and supports the girls who participate in pageants and are representing the country, whether national or international.
“As much as we come from a small country like Namibia, it’s about time we start believing in our girls who are representing us. We should stop hating, we should stop cyberbullying and we must start supporting our representatives who are representing Namibia on an international stage. Mental support plays a big role in pageantry,” she said.
Fun facts about Kazombaruru
-I am from the coast but I can’t swim
-I am obsessed with pink, it’s my favourite color.
-I have over 10 phone covers because I love seeing my phone looking good
-I am addicted to Coca Cola, it’s my favourite drink
-I don’t eat KFC’s dunked wings
-I started eating sushi this year only
-I can’t sleep without socks
With style, glitz and a touch of glamour, the beautiful Erika Kazombaruru, who was recently crowned Beauty of Africa International, is making waves in the modelling and pageant industry.
But the magic to Kazombaruru is the heart behind the beautiful face.
“Before I was crowned, my heart has always belonged to charity. The crown placed on my head did not change my heart at all. With the crown, I’m continuing to do what I love the most, which is helping in my community.”
Kazombaruru is passionate about educating young girls on health and hygiene, especially when it comes to menstrual health.
“I visit schools with the #KeepAGirlInSchool project that aims to donate sanitary pads and educate young girls on health and hygiene.”
She believes pageants are a learning curve that teaches you to never give up or lose hope. “I failed twice at pageants I entered, but that didn’t stop me. And I hope through my journey, I can empower one or two young girls. I love telling people that a door was shut in my face when I ended up just as a semi-finalist for Miss Namibia 2021, but another door opened and I was crowned Beauty of Africa International 2021 right after.”
There is another big international pageant in the pipeline for Kazombaruru, but she is determined to remain focused on the responsibilities she has now.
Currently, she is also a student, pursuing a bachelor of nursing science degree, which takes up a lot of her time.
“I do pageants when I’m free from school and the good thing about pageants is that you can prepare at any time. I balance pageantry with school work by allowing myself to take a step back when I’m not emotionally and physically available for pageants. But at the end of the day, I love what I do and I find a way to do what I love,” she added.
Kazombaruru said the pageantry world in Namibia is still something that is yet to be fully understood, utilised and valued.
“As much we think we know pageants in Namibia, we actually don’t. There’s a few of us who understand pageants in Namibia and for every young girl who wants to start doing pageants, I advise they do research on what they truly want to do, whether it’s runway or beauty competition. They must be ready to face obstacles and challenges that can come their way. Any young girl who wants to do pageants can do it if they set their mind to it. They should enter a pageant with a mindset of learning and embracing new opportunities along their journey.”
She said it is important that the country believes in and supports the girls who participate in pageants and are representing the country, whether national or international.
“As much as we come from a small country like Namibia, it’s about time we start believing in our girls who are representing us. We should stop hating, we should stop cyberbullying and we must start supporting our representatives who are representing Namibia on an international stage. Mental support plays a big role in pageantry,” she said.
Fun facts about Kazombaruru
-I am from the coast but I can’t swim
-I am obsessed with pink, it’s my favourite color.
-I have over 10 phone covers because I love seeing my phone looking good
-I am addicted to Coca Cola, it’s my favourite drink
-I don’t eat KFC’s dunked wings
-I started eating sushi this year only
-I can’t sleep without socks
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