Story by Patience Nyagato
IN a compelling tale of perseverance and purpose, newly crowned Miss Africa Queen, Zimbabwean Kundai Benhura, has pledged to use her reign to confront some of Africa’s most pressing challenges, with climate change at the forefront.
The 29-year-old Information Technology graduate claimed the continental title in Nigeria late last month, marking the culmination of a four-year journey that speaks to her resilience and commitment to representing African identity and causes.
“For those that do not know, I have entered Miss Africa four times, so this is my fourth time. The first time I saw their first queen, I think, I believe it was 2016, I knew I had to be part of the pageant because they celebrate African beauty, whether you are tall, you are short, you are light. So I knew that I would thrive in that pageant. And secondly, they really promote culture and different languages. I have always been fascinated by Africa, and I wanted to represent Zimbabwe. So every time I got disappointed, even for the fourth time, I knew that my turn was going to come. So being crowned is a big honour. It felt like a gift for Zimbabwe,” she said.
After three failed trials, this year was a turning point for the beauty who plans to use her reign to spark real change by addressing climate change awareness throughout the continent.
“The theme for this year was climate action, and that is something that Africa is struggling with. I am quite excited to work with different organisations to really educate people and take on different projects that combat climate action and climate change. I am basically first the face of the continent. I am the face of the brand Miss Africa, and I am the face of leading projects and I want to take on tree planting campaigns.
“Hopefully I will get to work with the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife. I am hoping to write a children’s book to educate people, even grownups. I started an Instagram live series called Kijani Conversations. Kijani means green in Swahili, where I just educate people. I think we assume that everybody knows what climate change is, and what climate action is so I will be taking on that and that is what my year will basically be looking like, visiting different nations, conscientising people on climate action,” she said.
With a vision to stretch beyond the runway, the new queen has plans to write a children’s book on climate change awareness aimed at educating youths on the urgency of environmental action.
