Louis Vuitton “face to face” with Zimbabwe
Recently I sat down with a good friend of mine and we were talking about beautiful girls from Africa, we spoke of the East and Southern African girls with tiny waists and big hips, girls from the Horn of Africa with beautiful hair and exotic skin tones, North African girls with beautiful eyes and long hair and West African girls with dark skin and slim figures. After contemplation she said that as a Zimbabwean she felt that there was nothing categorical about her fellow country women; they could be mistaken to be from any other African country. Well, she may be right I cannot say but I know for a fact that beautiful women are everywhere.
Zimbabwe has suffered a lot in the past decade; famines, hunger, chronic poverty, a HIV/AIDS epidemic, cholera outbreaks, political instability, economic collapse to the point where paupers became billionaires overnight – you name it, Zimbabweans have experienced it. We are often surprised when we see a Zimbabwean person smiling, laughing and living their life, because we assume that nothing good can come out of the country after what the media has done to tarnish its image – we assume that with the collapse of the state, everything followed suit. But that is not true, because there is a lot of talent from that place and immeasurable beauty. Zimbabwe is a true portrayal of the saying that goes, ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’
Nyasha Matonhodze: Orijin (Zimbabwe)
A young Zimbabwean woman, Nyasha Matonhodze was recently revealed to be the new face of the luxury brand, Louis Vuitton. Her beautiful face, lithe figure and mature look does no justice to her 16 years. Having moved to the UK with her mother in 2003, she says that unlike other top models like Lily Cole and Kate Moss who were scouted in public areas, she walked into Elite Model Management at the age of 14 in her school uniform and asked if she could model. She was entered in the 2009 Elite Model Look competition and became a finalist, from there she was signed onto Elite Models in Milan and Paris and her first show was in September 2010 when she walked for the Louis Gray spring show in London. Since then she has also graced the catwalks of Loewe and Emanuel Ungaro to name but a few.
Her face strangely reminds me of a younger Naomi Campbell – let’s just hope with her success she could help change the image people have of Zimbabwe and be the voice of many. It is easy to get caught up in the fame and lose your culture and identity in the process. We have seen many celebrities rise and fall because of their pride and loss of touch with their true selves. However, the few that acknowledge, nurture and celebrate their roots and culture such as Iman, Sade, Djimon and Alek turn out to be global icons, great representatives of the Motherland and outstanding role models for younger generations.
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