Miss Grand Namibia

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Miss Grand Namibia
Established4 July 2015; 8 years ago (2015-07-04)
FounderMagnolia Kuhanga
Dissolved2018
TypeBeauty pageant
HeadquartersWindhoek
Location
Membership
Miss Grand International
Official language
English
President
Magnolia Kuhanga
Parent organization
Magnolia Events Management (2015 – 2018)
WebsiteMissGrandNamibia.com
Miss Grand Namibia licensee timeline

Miss Grand Namibia was a Namibian female beauty pageant founded in 2015 by Magnolia Kuhanga,[1][2][3] the chairperson of the Windhoek-based organizer, Magnolia Events Management (ML Events Artistry).[3] The pageant was declared defunct in late 2018 after the incorporation between the aforementioned national organizer and Miss Grand International Limited was not extended and no other domestic organizer was interested in the license.[3] Originally, the winners of the contest, which was held three times—in 2015, 2016, and 2018—were expected to represent Namibia on its international parent platform, Miss Grand International.[1][2] However, all three winners withdrew from the international pageant for unspecified reasons; only one of them was replaced by an appointed representative.[4]

Since the first debutant in 2013, Namibian representatives have not obtained any placements at the Miss Grand International pageant.

History[edit]

Namibia participated in Miss Grand International twice, in 2013 and 2015, represented by Grace Khakhane and Unongo Kutako, respectively.[4][5] After Magnolia Events Management, headed by Magnolia Kuhanga, acquired the license in 2015, the national contest, Miss Grand Namibia, was held three times between 2015 and 2018.[1][2][6][3] Unfortunately, all winners of such a national pageant did not take part on the international stage for unclear reasons; however, Unongo Kutako, one of the Miss Grand Namibia 2015 finalists, was appointed to participate at the Miss Grand International 2015 in Thailand instead of the original winner, Linda Amadhila.[4] Since then, there have been no Namibian representatives at Miss Grand International, although the national pageants were additionally held to determine the titleholders in 2016 and 2018.[7][8]

In 2016, the first preliminary pageant for Miss Grand Namibia, Miss Swakopmund, was held in the city of Swakopmund, Erongo Region. The winner of the said regional pageant was automatically qualified for the national contest, Miss Grand Namibia 2016, held in Windhoek,[7] where Esperance Luvindao, a medical student at the University of Namibia, was elected as the national winner,[9] outclassing the other sixteen finalists.[10] For the most recent edition, Miss Grand Namibia 2018, several regional casting events were conducted nationwide by the national licensee to determine the regional representatives for the national contest, such as Erongo, Khomas, Ohangwena, etc.[11] The national final round was held in Windhoek on May 4, 2018, in which Rail Lucas of Ohangwena Region was announced as the national winner.[8][12]

Editions[edit]

The following list is the edition detail of the Miss Grand Namibia contest, since its inception in 2015.

Edition Date Final Venue Entrants Miss Grand Namibia Ref.
1st July 4, 2015 National Theatre of Namibia, Windhoek 12 Linda Amadhila [1]
2nd July 9, 2016 National Theatre of Namibia, Windhoek 17 Esperance Luvindao [2][9][13]
3rd March 3, 2018 Safari Hotel, Windhoek No data available Rail Lucas [8][11]

Titleholders[edit]

List of Namibian representatives at the Miss Grand International pageant

Year Delegate National Title Competition Result National director Ref.
Placements Other Award(s)
2013 Grace Diaz Khakhane Appointed Unplaced Andy Abulime [5][14]
2014 Maila Kalipi Appointed Unable to compete [15]
2015 Linda Amadhila[α] Miss Grand Namibia 2015 Unable to compete Magnolia Kuhanga [1][16]
Unongo Kutako[β] Miss Grand Namibia 2015 — Finalists Unplaced [4]
2016 Esperance Luvindao Miss Grand Namibia 2016 Unable to compete [9][17]
2017 Ruusa Angula Miss Grand Namibia 2016 — 1st Runner Up Unable to compete [18]
2018 Rail Lucas Miss Grand Namibia 2018 Unable to compete [12][19]
2019–Present: No representatives

Notes:

  1. Resigned or dethroned.
  2. Took over the title after the original winner resigned/was dethroned.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Linda is crowned Miss Grand Namibia". New Era. 23 September 2015. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Miss Grand Namibia Finalists Vie for 2016 Crown". The Namibian. 29 April 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Otjiwarongo girl qualifies for Miss Little Grand Namibia". Namibian Sun. 8 July 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "Local Beauties Internationally Welcomed". Windhoek Express. November 5, 2015. p. 2. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ a b "Miss Grand International 2013 contestants". Miss Grand International. 23 January 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-01-23. Retrieved 2 December 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ "Otjiwarongo Girl Qualified for Miss Little Grand Namibia". Namibia Press Agency. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  7. ^ a b "Zephyr Namibia Expands to Erongo Region". Namib Times. 4 March 2016. p. 9. Retrieved 28 April 2023 – via Issuu.com.
  8. ^ a b c "Miss Grand Namibia 2018 Results Officially Confirmed". Magnolia Events Management. 20 June 2018. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "Miss Grand Namibia plans for the future". Windhoek Express. 10 November 2016. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Matheus Erastus, winner of Miss Grand Namibia fashion show". The Namibian. 12 May 2016. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Miss Grand Erongo 2017". Myguidenamibia.com. 2017. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Rail Lucas getting ready to compete at Miss Grand Namibia 2018! Gorgeous girl – representing Ohangwena Region". Magnolia Events Management. 21 April 2018. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  13. ^ "NAMAs Heads Back to Swakopmund Dome" (PDF). MTC Namibia. 27 February 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  14. ^ Riza Ornos (13 November 2013). "Miss Grand International 2013 Updates: Top 20 Best in Swimsuit, Top 10 Best in Nat'l Costume, Prizes". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Miss Grand International 2014 contestants". Miss Grand International. 20 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-09-20. Retrieved 2 December 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  16. ^ Srinjan Bhowmick (25 October 2015). "Vartika Singh crowned second runner-up at MGI 2015". Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Miss Grand International 2016 contestants". Internet Archive. 3 September 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-09-03. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  18. ^ "Miss Grand International 2017 contestants". Miss Grand International. 8 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-10-08. Retrieved 2 December 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  19. ^ "Miss Grand International 2018 contestants". Miss Grand International. 18 October 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2 December 2022 – via Internet Archive.

External links[edit]