Mbangula – Beauty With Brains

Dazzling gowns and sparkling crowns may come to mind when you think of the word pageant. For many title-holders, such as Julita-Kitwe Mbangula, pageants are a life changer.

Mbangula has had a fascination for beauty pageants from a very young age. She remembers modelling at a neighbour’s house with other girls from her street at the age of six. Little did she know it would evolve into a great passion and career for her.

Although her interest in pageants started as a fun activity, over time it has shaped her and challenged her continuously to work on herself.

“Just as some people are drawn to art, music and other forms of expression, mine happens to be beauty pageants. It’s definitely an outlier given my line of work as a doctor, but it’s the one thing that fills me with purpose. I love travelling and putting myself in situations that’ll allow me to stretch mentally,” she says.

Mbangula (26) is an international beauty pageant title-holder, model, medical doctor, make-up artist and YouTube content creator.

PAGEANTRY JOURNEY

Her first official pageant was when she was still in primary school, after friends convinced her to enter just for fun.

“I remember feeling so comfortable and a sense of belonging on stage. I won Miss Valentine’s 2007 [at Charles Anderson Primary School]. I still have the sash to this day, the rest is history,” she recalls.

Mbangula recently added another milestone to her career when she won the Miss Supranational Namibia 2022 title, in a pageant aimed at training and uplifting women.

“In this pageant, I really pushed myself and became a no-matter-what person during the last couple of months. This title embodies the sheer hard work, dedication and work ethic that I needed to snatch the crown,” she says.

The winner represents the country internationally at the Miss Supranational pageant. Mbangula is also thrilled she will be participating in Poland.

HEALTH PROJECT

As the winner, Mbangula says she is looking forward to working on her project that centres on creating communities that are health conscious.

“This makes sense because being a doctor in state service, I have seen deaths that are preventable if only our people had the knowledge and skills necessary to intervene at home. ‘Own your health’ is an initiative that tackles that issue. I’m excited to work on it during the year and beyond,” she says.

Other titles under her belt are: Miss Unam School of Medicine 2014 first runner-up, Miss Namibia 2019 first runner-up and Miss Africa Calabar 2020 second runner-up.

Mbangula has walked on the international stage. She says participating in Miss Africa Calabar in 2020 was an experience that she will never forget. She was mainly impressed by how differently the world operates on the other side of the continent.

“Though we are the same in some ways, we are also very different. I would say, do your research first and prioritise yourself before taking on a pageant outside the country,” she says.

Mbangula says her involvement in beauty pageants has helped her overcome many challenges in life.

“I have trained myself to be more disciplined, patient, confident and strong and I can only attribute these traits to my participation in pageants. I have learnt never to take things personally. I’m also very persistent and strong-willed; if I make up my mind about something, I tunnel vision my way to it,” she says.

Speaking about her career as a medical doctor, Mbangula says it comes with its own set of hectic schedules and responsibilities, but she absolutely loves her job and finds it quite fulfilling.

MULTITALENTED

Mbangula also has a great passion for make-up, and is a self-taught make-up artist. “I have developed a passion for everything beauty related. I have set up my life to be very interesting,” she says.

She says over the years she has learned to go wherever she is appreciated and loved only. “I’ve put God at the centre of everything I do and the people around me have to be positive and like-minded because this is the only way I can grow,” she says.

Mbangula is optimistic about what the future holds for her and hopes to better the lives of more people.

“The universe listens to a stubborn heart. It’s not my own saying, but it resonates with me deeply. I can only be grateful for the grace upon my life during this period and strive to touch lives moving forward,” she says.

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