BY FREEMAN MAKOPA AUSTRALIA-BASED teen model Lian Tadiwanashe Takayidza (19) shrugged off stiff competition from 20 other contestants to be crowned Miss Africa South Australia at Paradise Influencers Church in Adelaide, Australia, at the weekend.
Miss Africa South Australia pageant runs annually and allows the African community to showcase its culture, intellect, and beauty.
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style from her Adelaide base, Takayidza described her achievement as a surreal moment, adding that hard work had paid off at last.
“Thank God for his grace and abundance of blessings in my life. Being crowned Miss Africa South Australia 2021 was such a surreal moment for me, resulting in a whirlwind of emotions. I am still struggling to comprehend it all,” she said.
“Other than the genuine hard work it took to perfect and remember the routines, speeches and the backstage mayhem of having 10-15 minutes between each performance category to change outfits, make-up and accessories. The pride I had in being able to represent my country and the belief I have for myself carried me all the way to the end.”
Takayidza said the crown was the starting point for better things to come and hoped to inspire everyone to stand firm for their identity and roots rather than personality.
“I am proud to be African, Zimbabwean and Miss Africa South Australia 2021.
“I believed I was a winner the moment I stepped into that audition room. I believed I was a winner before I stepped on that stage. I believed I was a winner before that crown was placed on my head,” she said.
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“This belief is powered by my being authentic and unapologetic, radiating an energy that is bound to change environments that night.
“I had never felt more like myself, knowing I had accomplished my goal with the way the room erupted everytime I walked out.”
Takayidza said she looked forward to removing the stigma created around mental health, starting with the South Australian Zimbabwean community before expanding to other African communities in the diaspora.
“Something I am passionate about is self-love, self-care and self-growth and I have recognised that specifically within the African community, there is a lot of stigma around mental health, which is what enables us to practice self-love, care and growth,” she said.
“The major issue stems from miscommunication and lost understanding between the millennial generation and my generation regarding mental health.
“This means a lot of Africans suffer silently and don’t get the proper support they so desperately need.”
Takayidza said given the success of her projects in Australia, she looked forward to providing similar resources back home in Zimbabwe.
She said she wanted to create an environment that fosters open conversations between the generations so that they better understand and educate each other, thus reduce the number of deaths caused by mental illness”.
Follow Freeman on Twitter @freemanmakopa
