THREE FINALISTS ALREADY SELECTED FOR

September 2008

Get ready…3 new stars are set to hit African catwalks!

24-year-old psychologist Totwana ‘Tito’ Tema became the first finalist selected for M-Net’s new season of Face of Africa at a casting held at the Gaborone International Convention Centre in Botswana recently. And just a week later, 19-year-old hairdresser Albertina Shigwedha and 24-year-old student pilot Maria Hiwilepo became the second and third finalists selected for Face of Africa 2008 at a casting at the Protea Hotel Furstenhof in Windhoek, Namibia.

Standing over 1.71m each, the trio were handpicked from many aspiring hopefuls by Face of Africa casting scouts, the dynamic Kaone Kario (Face of Africa 2005) and model industry veteran Andiswa Manxiwa, during a daylong casting sessions in both cities.

Speaking about their Face of Africa selection process, the scouts said, “From the moment it began, we’ve been proud to be part of the new season of M-Net’s Face of Africa. That pride is multiplied every time we’re at a casting and we meet talented, committed and confident young African women of our generation who are bold and brave enough to chase their dreams!”

Kario and Manxiwa headed out of Botswana and Namibia immediately after the casting sessions, en-route to Malawi which is their latest stop in a cross-continental expedition that will see them head to 13 different countries over the next six weeks as they search for Africa’s newest catwalk sensation!

Meanwhile for the gorgeous Tito, Albertina and Maria, the next step in their Face of Africa journey is a trip to the scenic island of Zanzibar in October to participate in a special Model ‘Boot-Camp’ at which the Top 10 finalists will be selected for the M-NET FACE OF AFRICA 2008 Finale, to be held in Sun City on Saturday November 29. DStv audiences in over 40 countries will see the Finale live on M-Net.

With their selection, the three models are in the running for the Face of Africa 2008 winner prize, which is a whopping USD 50 000 in cash from M-Net and a three-year modeling contract with O Model Africa.

Helmed by former Face of Africa superstar Oluchi Onweagba, the modeling contract prize from O-Model Africa is one of several prizes on offer from the agency. Other prizes include a year’s accommodation in Johannesburg and Cape Town where O Model Africa operates, a life coaching course and financial advice as well as photographic test shoots, the creation of modeling Z-cards and the development of a modeling portfolio.

Other castings to follow are: Dar es Salaam – Tanzania (September 9); Nairobi – Kenya (September 13); Addis – Ethiopia (September 16); Lagos – Nigeria (September 20); Accra - Ghana (September 23); Maputo – Mozambique (September 27); Lusaka – Zambia (October 1); Johannesburg – South Africa (October 4) and Luanda – Angola (October 11).