The distance between Lodwar and Paris is approximately 9,673 kilometers. Even with this outstanding distance, supermodel Ajuma Nasenyana brings the beauty of Lodwar to Paris, London, Milan and New York effortlessly. Bullied for her dark skin as a young girl, Ajuma now jets out to various prestigious locations around the world, lauded as one of the world’s most beautiful people.

In Turkana County, the conventional standard of beauty is largely ignored. Instead, women here adorn themselves with vibrant beaded neck-pieces, and equally colorful bracelets circling their wrists. Their hair sits in the signature Turkana mohawks and they are known for their height and slim bodies. This was the kind of fashion and beauty Ajuma knew, until she joined Greensteds International School. The conventional standard reigned; she was a dark-skinned girl in an environment that praised even toned and caramel skin, and therefore, her beauty wasn’t qualified. Lodwar, however, had blessed its daughter with unbreakable confidence and thick skin. She would find herself defending her complexion if anyone dared to ridicule her. Through all the drama, Ajuma found comfort in sports and she hoped that, one day, she’d be a professional athlete.

Post high school, Ajuma tried her hand at modeling, surprising herself and possibly all the bullies from her past when she was crowned Miss Tourism Kenya in 2003. The audience at the event consisted of model scouts and agency representatives. Among them was Lyndsey McIntyre, founder of Surazuri Modeling Agency. They hit it off, friendship flowing easily between them. Lyndsey would continually try to convince Ajuma to get into a modeling career. The tall, dark beauty would decline. She’d been offered a sports scholarship abroad which she gladly accepted.

Lyndsey, in a last-ditch effort to get her friend to become a model, persuaded her to welcome a team of photographers from Gamma Photo Agency that were arriving on the day that Ajuma would be flying out to university. Meeting them in the terminal, mere hours before her departing flight, she realized she had been set up. The photographers stated that staying in Kenya would be a waste; they might as well leave with Ajuma because she was exactly the kind of girl they needed for their fashion campaign. Unwilling to inconvenience them, she stayed in Kenya. The photos they took of Ajuma were featured in the French magazine ‘Gala’.

With these photos, she prepared a portfolio to present to Ford Models, a US-based international modelling agency. She was immediately accepted. After this, the agency admitted her into the Ford’s Supermodel of the World competition. By winning, Ajuma became the first black model to win a supermodel competition that was not exclusive to models of color. Her name was now on the fashion map. Luxury brands began to reach out to her, wanting hers to be the face of their companies. Fashion Week, whether in New York, Milan, or Africa, was a regular affair for the athlete turned model.

With this global recognition, the North is still home to our Lodwar beauty. In 2018, Ajuma partnered with UNHCR and together they trained 50 refugee models hailing from various nationalities as well as her own Turkana. Of the number, 19 of them had the pleasure of walking the runway during the International Women’s Day of 2018 in Kakuma.

The mother of two is passionate about crushing beauty standards designed to shame people of color, especially dark-skinned people. At every chance she gets, she speaks out against skin-lightening products, encouraging Africans to embrace their melanin wholeheartedly.

We salute Ajuma Nasenyana for redefining beauty and representing the +254.

#KeDiaspora