Meet the Beauty Queens representing Africa at the 69th Miss Universe

Miss Universe 2020 which will be the 69th edition of the pageantry is scheduled to take place on May 16, 2021, at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, the United States where the reigning queen, Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa will be crowning her successor at the end of the event.

Mario Lopez and Olivia Culpo will be the host for the pageant.

So far, 74 contestants have been confirmed.

Several national pageants were delayed or cancelled indefinitely due to the pandemic, resulting in many past runners-up from previous national pageants being appointed for the 2020 edition, or casting processes being held in their place.

Nigeria, Angola, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Namibia, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania, are among the countries that will not compete due to the pandemic.

As always, BN will be bringing you all the updates from the competition, but first, here’s a chance to meet ALL the African beauty queens who will be competing for the Miss Universe 2020 crown.

Vandana Jeetah

Country: Mauritius
Age: 29
Instagram: @vandana.jeetah

Vandana is passionate about the law; she recently earned her Masters Degree and is currently working as an in-house barrister. She is actively involved in the community with the Lions Club. She describes herself as being grounded, ambitious and a free spirit, she is also a founder member and a former President of the Leo Club, Flacq.

During her mandate, her focus and advocacy revolved around the environment with projects such as coral farming, which is crucial for the restoration of the Mauritian coral reefs. Vandana loves running with her mother who is also her inspirational figure. Her other hobbies include mountain hiking, swimming in Mauritius’s turquoise lagoons and travelling. At only 28 years old, Vandana has already visited 33 countries and she believes that travelling is the best way to enhance personal growth.

Facts:

• She speaks 4 languages and has travelled to 33 countries.
• She ran in 3 semi-marathons and won over 100 medals in athletics in school.
• She is the founder of a youth-led NGO in Mauritius.

Natasha Joubert

Country: South Africa
Age: 23
Instagram: @natasha_joubert

Natasha Joubert is from Pretoria in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in marketing management from Boston City Campus in 2020 and worked as a public relations officer for a law firm. In 2016, Natasha started her own business, Natalie Jefferys, a fashion company specializing in couture. She runs Natalie Jefferys with the help of her mother and an all-female staff. Natasha is deeply inspired by her family and credits her late father for her ambition to succeed.

As a social activist, she is a Play Your Part Ambassador for Brand South Africa. This organization encourages all South African’s to contribute to a better future for all. This year, she says she is championing South Africa’s young democracy, which is facing challenging times: “I pledge to play my part to contribute to a positive future and champion leadership and entrepreneurship.”

Facts:

• Natasha did karate as a child and was the only girl in her class.
• Natasha collects fabrics and interesting textiles; they are always lying around her workshop in case she gets inspired to create a colourful ensemble.
• The name of her business, “Natalia Jeffreys,” stems from a character inspired by her in a book written by her best friend in high school.

Chelsea Tayui

Country: Ghana
Age: 25
Instagram: @iamchelseatayui

Chelsea Tayui graduated from DePaul University with a degree in Communications and Media. She works part-time as the Communications Director for The KJM Foundation- a non-profit organization that seeks to create a world where every individual has access to basic human needs.

She started as a volunteer with KJM to bring clean water to impoverished villages in her country. Chelsea cares passionately about autism. She is working on eliminating the stigma of Autism in Ghana and she is a strong proponent for Early Intervention. She is raising awareness and advocacy for policy change in the Ghana education system, such that these children can be accommodated in the school systems.

Facts:

• Chelsea has travelled to 22 countries.
• Chelsea is still learning how to whistle.
• Chelsea had a near-death experience when she was 16-years-old.

Angele Kossinda

Country: Cameroon​
Age: 28
Instagram: @Misskossinda

Kossinda Angele is passionate about acting, travelling, scriptwriting, and youth education. She has a masters degree in finance from Pigier Cameroun and provides free math lessons to underprivileged children in her city, Douala. In Kossinda’s spare time, she produces and acts in a TV comedy series available on Youtube.

Kossinda is an advocate for the education of the young and disadvantaged girls in Cameroon. In her tribe, girls are subjected to forced marriages as early as 12-years-old. Kossinda believes offering a free education will create a new generation of empowered and confident young girls with better opportunities for a future without arranged marriages.

She is amongst the very few women from her region active in her community and serves as an inspiration to the girls of Cameroon to become strong, independent women.

Facts:

• Kossinda has travelled to 10 countries: Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, UAE, Philippines, Japan, Poland, South Africa, and Chad.
• She has a passion for finance and mathematics.
• Kossinda is a comedian on a TV series!

Africans in Diaspora

Nova Stevens

Country: Canada​ (Sudanese born)
Age: 26
Instagram: @thenovastevens

After her family fled the civil war in Sudan, Nova was sent alone to Canada at age 6. Growing up separately from her family, Nova appreciates the importance of fostering healthy development and is continuously looking for opportunities to serve young Canadians.

Nova is a co-founder and spokespersons for ‘Freedom March Vancouver’ and ‘Black Freedom Society’ whose mission is to eradicate hate and racism experienced by black and indigenous people of colour.

​Nova has an affinity for acting and modelling and has made appearances on productions in the film industry in Vancouver. She expresses herself through art and movement and has worked internationally in Fashion Week across the globe.

Facts:

• Nova co-organized a ‘Freedom From Hate’ march that brought together 15,000 people.
• She can sing with a baby’s voice.
• Nova competed 3 times for Miss Universe Canada, finishing better every time, and eventually winning the 2020 title.

Jeanette Akua

Country: Great Britain (South African descent)
Age: 29
Instagram: @jeanetteakua

Jeanette Akua is passionate about music and education and has a master’s degree in international economic policy and analysis.

She works as a business development manager at a leading economic consultancy and speaks at global conferences, addressing CEOs and world leaders. She’s also a former X Factor UK top 10 finalists and has written and released her own music with over a million streams.

Jeanette is the founder of the Be Audacious campaign, which aims to empower women to have the audacity to pursue their dreams and to have the nerve to walk through doors they are told are not meant for them.

She hosts online series that celebrates and shares the diverse stories of women from all over the world: from doctors, architects and business owners to single mothers, sexual assault survivors and women living with chronic illness. Her mission is to build an army of audacious women who are unapologetic about who they are!

Facts:

• She exceeded the student-teacher ratio by 100% by juggling 40 students in a single day.
• She is a trilingual speaker. Aside from fluently speaking English and Spanish, I studied French at the Catholic University of Paris.
• She hopes to visit every Major League Baseball stadium in my lifetime, and have been to 13 out of 30! I plan to visit the remanding 17 within the next 5 years.