Photo credit: Ripples Nigeria
It could be a case of the Biblical saying that the stone rejected by the builders becomes the cornerstone, or one person’s loss is another’s gain.
Well, Chidinma Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian while her mother is Mozambican, has naturalized as a South African and was rejected in South Africa due to a xenophobic backlash.
Following her ordeal in South Africa, the organizers of the Miss Nigeria pageant invited her, and lo and behold, she was crowned Miss Nigeria on Saturday.
In an interview with AFP, Chidimma said, “This journey has been a tough journey for me…I am so proud of myself. I’m really grateful for the love and the support. This is something that I’ve always wanted, and I’m really glad that I have a second shot at achieving it.”
Chidimma, whose Nigerian heritage sparked vicious xenophobic attacks and spewed controversy when she was announced as a Miss South Africa finalist while the government said it was investigating whether her mother stole her South African identity.
Meanwhile, the organizers of the Miss M=Nigeria contest came to her rescue despite the fact that she had not been in the country for 20 years. They said, It was a chance to “represent your father’s native land on an international stage.”
The first runner-up, Paula Ezendu, said, “We all need to stop with the xenophobia…with tribalism. We’re all one family. We’re all human beings.”
Adetshina will represent Nigeria at the international Miss Universe competition in November.
