By a Correspondent
We have in the last five consecutive months been carrying tips ‘how to make it as a model’ in this page. Girls always ask; ‘can I be a model, do I have what it takes, how do I get started as a model...” Today, we bring you the moving story of 21 year old Ajuma Nasenyana, the 5’10’’ tall Turkana girl who some few years ago took the modelling world by storm and suddenly rose to stardom, becoming one of the most sought for cover girl all over the world.
Born in Lodwar, Turkana District in 1994, Ajuma was an athlete training with Paul Erang when she made her first foray into modeling, participating in the Miss Tourism Kenya competition in 2003. Having won the 400 and 800 meters track events in the Kenya Junior Championships in 2002 she was now the crowd favorite in a very different type of competition. She won the ‘Miss Nairobi’title.
Through Miss Tourism, she consulted Lyndsey McIntyre, the Managing Director of – Surazuri, one of the reputable modeling agencies in Nairobi, who immediately spotted her international potential.
On the threshold of pursuing an athletics career Surazuri persuaded her to meet some journalists who had visited the country on search for a supermodel. They met at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as Ajuma was about to board a plane to Sweden. The journalists persuaded her to to postpone her journey after which she accompanied them to Turkana for a photo spread for a French Magazine ‘Gala’. The photographs taken were to provide the basis for Ajuma’s fabulous portfolio.
Her agency then sponsored the 19 year- old to enter the Ford Models Supermodel of the World Search ‘2003’ to represent Kenya. This is the world’s premier modeling competition with over 50 contestants taking part in a high profile show in New York. Ajuma did her country proud by being the first black model ever to win a ($50,000) contract in an international competition that was not aimed solely at promoting black models.
Her career has snowballed. She then got signed with the world’s top modeling agencies in New York, Paris, Milan, London, Spain, Tokyo, Copenhagen, Dublin, Stockholm and Cape Town.
Ajuma has worked for designers such as Baby Phat, Vivienne Westwood, Issey Miyake, Ungaro and LaCoste to name a few. She is a favorite over the fashion week seasons and makes a hectic dash from New York to London to Milan to Paris to Kenya.
She has shot covers and editorials for several magazines including American Elle and is starring in advertising campaigns all over the globe. In 2004 Ajuma won a 6000 Euro prize for being voted Best Model of Spanish Fashion Week. In August 2005 she was voted amongst the worlds 10 most beautiful women by US magazine ‘Complex’. She has starred in an art house movie that won an award at the New York Film Festival and has worked alongside Naomi Campbell and Alek Wek.
It was a tough decision to quit athletics but she is not one for regrets. She has adapted easily to the traveling although she admits it can get lonely. However, her beautiful smile and genuine charm make her new friends wherever she goes - carrying the Kenyan flag with pride and grace.
Ajuma is now based in New York and is still represented there by Ford Models. She has recently shot campaigns for Motorola and Target.
BONUS:
Ajuma’s mother, Maria, was the first woman of her generation in the Turkana area to receive education and she went on to open and run the Women’s Centre in Lodwar. Her grandfather is an ex-administration policeman who keeps two homes – a small house in Lodwar and a Turkana traditional homestead some 15 minutes drive from the town. He has three wives and 25 children and many dozens of grandchildren, including Ajuma. The model was educated at Greensteads and Greenacres, two excellent boarding schools outside Nairobi, which follow the British system. Her education was sponsored together with other young girls from Lodwar by the Womens Centre. After school she went into training for 400 metre and 800 metre track running and in 2002 she won the World Junior Championship National Trials and was third in the World Championship National trials. Her best times are 400 mt – 54 seconds.
