Miss Namibia 2018, Selma Kamanya

Beautiful, intelligent and quietly confident, Selma Kamanya is a young woman who is hard to forget. Because of these qualities and many more, she was crowned Miss Namibia 2018, a title that will ensure most Namibians will never forget her.

From the preliminary rounds to the final night of crowning, the 21-year-old was one of the finalists who stood out and was clearly in the running to wear the crown.

While she shone as she modelled some Namibian designer garments, she was even more impressive as she answered what some considered to be one of the tougher questions from the judges on the night. She spoke of building bridges that would empower underprivileged women in the country – a sentiment that many people in the crowd agreed with, judging from the roars and applause.

Kamanya is an economics student at the Namibia University of Science and Technology and she holds a diploma in Economics. She’s eager to obtain her honours degree in economics and eventually a masters in the same field.

While she’s passionate about learning and advancing in life as she gets older, she remains a homebody whose family comes first.

And her biggest inspiration to pursue her studies with diligence is her father, whom she calls her role model.

“Growing up, my father has been the biggest inspiration to me, as well as my biggest influencer. My father is an uneducated man, however, I’ve never lacked. He is aware of this systematic ‘disability’ he has, and because of this has always pushed me to be better,” she says.

As can be expected, her father, alongside her mother and other family members, were her biggest cheerleaders on the night of her crowning and the sheer joy of her wearing the most coveted crown in the country was evident on all their faces.

interviewed the newly-crowned beauty queen to learn more about her life, aspirations and the road ahead as she starts her year of reign…

I am an ambivert, I would like to think that I am down-to-earth and completely relatable. I grew up in this beautiful capital city of Windhoek. I enjoyed my childhood prior to the prominence that technology now has; I’d like to think that times were much simpler back then than they are today.

Honestly, the people around me. They saw pageant potential within me, and encouraged me to try it out.

Nothing that I’ve ever experienced before. It tests your character and as a result of this, develops your character and helps you grow. I will forever be grateful for the experience.

I will be working with the Standard Bank’s Women of Excellence, as well as in collaboration with the Namibia Diamond Trading Company, working towards building a diamond generation.

I feel like my experiences, my upbringing as well as my beliefs will influence and take prominence in what I choose to involve myself in, as well as my perspective. I don’t like mediocrity. Therefore, I always try my best in whatever I do.

I am single.

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