The grand coronation of Miss Botswana 2019 took place on 21st September 2019 at The Factory Selibe Phikwe, with various delegates competed for the national crown. The evening concluded with the crowning of beautiful Oweditse Phirinyane as Miss World Botswana 2019.
A-CHOICES:Congratulations on becoming Miss Botswana!What made you decide to enter The Miss Botswana 2019 Pageants?
OWEDITSE: Thank you. Gut feeling,it just felt right. That’s the honest truth.
A-CHOICES:Tell us a bit more about your family?
OWEDITSE: I am from a blended family of givers. The only child between mom and dad having mostly brothers for siblings.
A-CHOICES:Previous beauty competitions/pageants won?
OWEDITSE: A couple of them
*Miss Botho University 2013 1st runner up
*Miss PTIA(Private Tertiary Institutions)2nd runner up 2013
*Miss Grand Botswana 2nd runner up 2014
*Miss Heritage Botswana 2016/17
*Global Supermodel Botswana 2018
*Global Supermodel 2nd runner up
*Miss Botswana 2019/2020
A-CHOICES:Did you ever imagined your life would turn out like this when you were surprisingly announced the winner of the country’s top beauty pageant ?
OWEDITSE: Suprisingly? I dont think anyone ever is certain about what the future holds for them or how life would be for them. But what I knew for sure is that I deserved it,I worked hard for it and someone somewhere will notice the work I put in. The universe always responds.
A-CHOICES:Who is a previous Miss Botsawana who has inspired you?
OWEDITSE: A couple of them for different reasons,not one in particular. Juby Peacock for her humbleness .Emma Wareus for her focus and strength. Nicole Gaelebale for her resilience. The list goes on and on.
A-CHOICES:Were you feeling the pinch of trying over and over again, in August, 2019 when you declared that the Miss Botswana 2019 edition would be your last?
OWEDITSE: I am not a quitter, never was. If I want something I go for it. I dont want a life of what ifs and I know what’s mine will be mine. I felt no pinch,I did all these pageants for self development,no regrets. Miss Botswana is the biggest pageant in the country so it only made sense for it to be my last. What else is there to do after trying the biggest competition?
A-CHOICES:In which way do you think beauty pageants are still relevant today? – how would you respond to someone who says they totally aren’t?
OWEDITSE: What we consider relevant is based on our perspective of things. You cant force people to have the same view as you, you shouldn’t. Pageants give not only young girls and boys to look up to someone and know it is possible to make a difference by doing something you love. It’s a character building journey. Its an empowering journey which contributes heavily towards marketing the beauty industry. Saying its irrelevant means all these aspects about it are irrelevant.
A-CHOICES:You always look so glam! What is your top beauty tip?
OWEDITSE: It starts from with. Self reflect, self introspection, be content with who you are and don’t let your environment easily affect your emotions. All hell could be breaking loose around me but I know I am that girl, I am a queen, I am phenomenal, I am unstoppable and have no control of what happens but how I respond. Then it translates to how I look.
A-CHOICES:Who is your style icon?
OWEDITSE: A lot of people,males too. I see what I like,i get inspired. Some things i just think about them,sketch them and let my designers produce the final product. If its classy,clean,unapologetic then it speaks to me.
A-CHOICES:Who is your ideal beauty queen and how has she helped you to evolve as a beauty queen?
OWEDITSE: Just like the previous question of Miss Botswana previous queen, I admire a lot of queens. I dont have an ideal beauty queen,I never fit people into a box or love one dimensional things. Priyanka Chopra is unstoppable and multifaceted and I love that about her, Pia Wurtzbach never stopped doing good and she is from humble beginnings,Mpule Kwelagobe went beyond what people believe to be a ‘typical queen’.
A-CHOICES:What do you do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies?
OWEDITSE: If I am not cooking then I am learning something new. I love DIY projects. I love to take time to self introspect and give myself some love.
A-CHOICES:What have you learnt by competing in pageants?
OWEDITSE: Pageantry is like a short course about life. You start unaware of what you are getting yourself,if you are not content you get easily influenced. Everyone will have an opinion about how you should do things but no one actually helps you to do the work. Then if you are lucky you will get to the realization that you are not there to be liked but to serve your purpose.
A-CHOICES: On the stigma attached to natural hair and skin colour: Have you ever Googled professional hairstyles and non-professional hairstyles?Discrimination against black women over their natural hairstyles, would you say natuaral hair is beautiful?
OWEDITSE: Ofcourse natural hair is beautiful, any kind of hair and skin colour is beautiful. I have never for a second doubted that being black and having natural hair is not beautiful or is unprofessional. I do whatever I want to do to my hair, whenever because my hair doesn’t define my beauty. What stings is when blacks discriminate their own, I felt that sting when I was told I am not ‘black enough’ to represent MY country after I worked hard and won the crown.
A-CHOICES:A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants.What unique characteristics would you say you brought to the Miss Botswana competition?
OWEDITSE: They are many aspects to beauty pageants, individuals just choose to focus on that one attribute. There are projects,talent, sports and pre judging which tests your ability to answer questions on the spot. What brought me to Miss Botswana was to try and help people understand pageantry more among many things. People dont understand it at all. Its work,its emotionally taxing,it takes devotion and discipline. Looks alone wont take you that far. Your interaction with people and your core is what will speak for you.
A-CHOICES:Social media seem to play a major role in pageantry nowadays.Do you think this
is advantageous to you? You have been heavily criticised by beauty pageants analysts, that you have gone into a complete eerie silence instead of been a front liner during this COVID-19 crisis,that your pages are dry and mind-numbing?
OWEDITSE: No,I have been heavily criticised by one journalist. Pageant analysts actually applaud me,they understand the dynamics better and they keep recommending other bigger pageants. I mean one of the big pageants emailed me asking me to represent the country this year. They wouldnt be if I wasnt doing something right.
One may also ask as they have just done with regards to what they deem a dimness of lack of presence on social media; with the advent of the digital age of social media, it has become quiet common that we have all seemingly become experts and opinion leaders on all matters that may come up and trend, I do not believe that being visible on the platform and expressing an opinion of issues, some of which may require relevant expertise and authority. It was made clear that we should allow for the correct information to come from official authorised pages.
I did what I could do. Had online discussion on zoom and Instagram live with international queens. From Miss Uganda,to Miss Africa 2020 and Man of the World Namibia 2020 discussing impacts of Covid 19 and bringing awareness. I put up a video,made mask donations. So I am doing my part,whoever is feeling otherwise is being hurt by their own expectations not that I am sitting and not doing anything. So I let them be and protect my peace,what’s important is knowing that I am doing my all and actually doing my all with zero sponsors.
A-CHOICES:Coronavirus that has been sweeping plans and events across the entire world really ruined the once thought promising 2020. The novel virus has affected many plans for many people, and many had goals that had to be postponed saving the lives of several people.Would you say that the pandemic has adversely affected your reign,to say the least?
OWEDITSE: I believe everything happens for a reason. Is it unfortunate that Covid happened the year I was reigning? Yes. Is it the end of my life? No Does it stop me from doing good and making a dent? NO. I never like to focus my energy on things I have no control over,I am young and not about to give myself grey hairs. Covid is a minor setback,what’s meant for me is already written in the stars and will be mine because I put in the work.
A-CHOICES:When crowned Miss Botswana 2019/2020 at the ailing mining township of Selibe Phikwe in September last year,You were announced as an ambassador of the Selibe-Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit (SPEDU). SPEDU is an investment promotion company owned by the Government of Botswana tasked to coordinate investment promotion and economic diversification in the SPEDU economic region. What is your most significant achievement since inception?
OWEDITSE: When it comes to the matter of SPEDU and Miss Botswana management I can not answer for them.You would have realized that SPEDU undertook to support the Miss Botswana project and as such I was the first Queen go be crowned in Selibe Phikwe. The intention was always to utilize the platform that is Miss Botswana through its affiliation to the Miss World organization to bring to the fore the investment opportunities available in the SPEDU region while promoting some of the cultural enterprises in the region, of prominence being the basketry industry that is present in the area. Being crowned queen under SPEDU did not make the region my area of concern but an ambassador for them as an economic diversification entity which relies on investments to run.
And we are all aware the impact Covid 19 impact was felt by everyone and like you said,’Coronavirus that has been sweeping plans and events across the entire world really ruined the once thought promising 2020. The novel virus has affected many plans for many people, and many had goals that had to be postponed saving the lives of several people.’
A-CHOICES:Describe an important project you worked on?
OWEDITSE: All my projects are equally important to me. No matter how big or little. From donating school shoes and paying development fees for the children at Tsholofelong Children’s and Youth Trust who are suffering some kind of abuse and were in need of them. To donating sanitary pads to girls who went for months without them which was chipping on their confidence in Mochudi. Donating 250ask at my home Village during a pandemic. To working closely with two South African doctors to open a Breast Cancer clinic in Botswana,which is the second most invasive cause of deaths. So I honestly cannot pick one.
A-CHOICES:Some critics say there are no messages that raise awareness about the virus, let alone no videos of your interacting with fans.That,you and the organization should be doing online educational campaigns or a donation drive but you are just silent?
OWEDITSE: Miss Botswana as an organization has never been a self financing and sustaining one, depending on the support and sponsorship of both Government through the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Culture Development and the private sector for the execution of its projects and its upkeep. Everyone is doing the best that they can with what they believe and their current state of consciousness. I cannot satisfy everyone. I mean even Jesus performed miracles and is still not everyone’s favourite. So if sharing information posted by government pages to my stories, posting a video asking people to be safe, promoting local products,making donations,having Zoom and Instagram discussions are nothing,then I plead guilty.
A-CHOICES: Is it safe to say Miss Botswana as a reputable organization and brand is weak and dying, is already deteriorated. There is always controversy year in and out. National directors come and go. It seems like no one can keep that brand stable. Miss Botswana has lost its credibility and many do not want to associate with it anymore?
OWEDITSE: Its easy to point fingers,very easy but not so easy to do the actual work. The fact that we are still writing and talking about it then I believe it’s not that weak. This question can be best answered by the management of why people have this impression and validate if it’s true or not. I am the reigning queen,just like any other queen I can only speak about my experience.
A-CHOICES: What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
OWEDITSE: Life is not happening to you,its responding to you.
The minute you comprehend this,your perspective on a lot of things will change. Blame games will stop.
A-CHOICES: What is the one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
OWEDITSE: Well nothing brings me joy like DIY projects. I love it when I can make something beautiful from nothing. That’s my little piece of magic.
A-CHOICES:Who’s your celeb crush?
OWEDITSE: LOL heish hahaha I long stopped having celebrity crushes when Tyrese got married.