Miss Universe Nigeria Crowns Controversial South African Queen

On Saturday night in Lagos, 23-year-old law student Chidimma Adetshina was crowned Miss Universe Nigeria after a drawn-out and very public debate about her eligibility. The controversy, however, was tied to a distinct beauty pageant nearly 3,000 miles away.

Adetshina had been competing in the Miss South Africa pageant when she faced accusations of not being a South African citizen, a requirement for all contestants. Typically, South African citizenship requires being born in South Africa to at least one parent who is either a citizen or permanent resident. In interviews, Adetshina said she was born in Soweto—a township in Johannesburg—to a Nigerian father and a South African mother with Mozambican roots, and she was raised in Cape Town.

Adetshina was not the first contestant in the pageant to suffer from cyberbullying and abuse, which many labeled xenophobic. Although pageant organizers initially supported her, the ongoing uproar on social media soon caught the attention of South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs. At one point, South Africa’s Minister for Sports, Art and Culture tweeted, “We truly cannot have Nigerians compete in our Miss SA competition,” adding that Adetshina’s participation gave him “funny vibes.”

“I am representing a country, but I don’t feel the love from the people I’m representing,” Adetshina said in an interview with Soweto Live amid the controversy.

A preliminary investigation found that Adetshina’s mother might have committed “identity theft,” though the agency absolved Adetshina herself of any wrongdoing, noting she was only an infant at the time.

In early August, Adetshina withdrew from Miss South Africa, posting a statement on Instagram saying she made the decision for the “safety and wellbeing of my family and I.”

Shortly after, she received an invitation from the organizers of the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, according to CNN. Her late entry into the contest faced criticism in Nigeria as well, but Adetshina ultimately prevailed and will now compete at the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City in November. One of her competitors will be 28-year-old Mia le Roux, who won the Miss South Africa title and became the first deaf woman to do so.

Source: CNN