Miss Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, has spoken of her pride at coming second in the Miss Universe competition, as well as being named Miss Africa and Oceania.
“I’m so proud of myself and I just made history,” she said, shortly after losing out to Miss Denmark, Victoria Kjær Theilvig.
Adetshina first participated in the Miss South Africa pageant because she was born and raised in South Africa. However, because her father is Nigerian, she faced racist abuse and trolling.
This compelled her to quit Miss South Africa and was subsequently invited by authorities in Nigeria to compete in Miss Universe Nigeria. She won and represented Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City where she made history as she was named Miss Africa and Oceania and emerged second.
In response to claims that her mother, who is of Mozambican descent, had used identity fraud to get South African citizenship, the South African government said last month that they would deprive her of her identification documents.
Adetshina and her mother have not responded to the accusations.
Authorities in South Africa noted that because Adetshina was still a baby, she was unable to take part in any purported fraud.
Mia le Roux, the eventual Miss South Africa winner, withdrew from Miss Universe last week due to an undisclosed medical ailment.
Chidimma Adetshina to contest in Miss Universe Nigeria after Miss South Africa row
She was the first deaf woman to win the Miss South Africa crown.
Adetshina, a law student, told the BBC in September that she still considered herself to be “proudly Nigerian” and “proudly South African.”
However, some South Africans reacted by claiming she did not represent them after Miss Universe South Africa tweeted to congratulate her on her second place, along with both South African and Nigerian flags.
In her BBC interview, Adetshina said she would be seeking therapy to help her deal with the trauma following the abuse she was subjected to.
She is the highest-placed black African woman in Miss Universe since South Africa’s Zozibini Tunzi won the competition in 2019.
The post Chidimma Adetshina makes history at Miss Universe after facing rejection in South Africa first appeared on 3News.
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