LAGOS, Nigeria: A former Miss South Africa contestant hounded over a nationality row was crowned Miss Universe Nigeria on Saturday, capping a difficult few weeks for the beauty queen.
Born to a Nigerian father in South Africa, 23-year-old Chidimma Adetshina withdrew from the country’s competition “for the safety and wellbeing of my family and I” after a backlash that exposed anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa.
“This journey has been a tough journey for me and I am so proud of myself and I’m really grateful for the love and the support,” Adetshina told AFP minutes after being crowned in Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos.
“This is something that I’ve always wanted, and I’m really glad that I have a second shot as well at achieving it,” Adetshina said.
Her Nigerian heritage attracted vicious xenophobic attacks and sparked controversy when she was announced as a Miss South Africa finalist in July, while the government said it was investigating a claim that her mother may have stolen the identity of a South African woman.
Despite not being in the country in 20 years, organizers of the Nigerian contest invited her to join their final, saying it was a chance for her to “represent your father’s native land on an international stage.”
“We all need to stop with the xenophobia... with the tribalism,” first runner-up Paula Ezendu told AFP.
“We’re all one family. We’re all human beings,” she added.
The nationality controversy notwithstanding, Adetshina insisted she loved South Arica and was grateful for the support from the country.
She will represent Nigeria at the international Miss Universe competition in November.
“I know we are going to win,” she told reporters.
Beauty queen wins Miss Nigeria after South Africa row
https://arab.news/g88ha
Beauty queen wins Miss Nigeria after South Africa row
- Born to a Nigerian father in South Africa, Chidimma Adetshina withdrew from the country’s competition after a backlash that exposed anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa
- Despite not being in the country in 20 years, she was invited to join the Nigerian final. Now she will represent Nigeria at the international Miss Universe competition in November
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
