Breytenbach Confident About 2021

AS THE Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc, it has resulted in the cancellation of this year’s pageant and given resigning Miss Namibia Nadja Breytenbach another year with the crown.

Each year Miss Namibia and Miss Teen Namibia national pageants are held to celebrate beauty with a charitable cause, but this year’s events were cancelled due to the raging pandemic.

Conny Maritz, the managing director of the Miss Namibia pageant, noted that the pandemic resulted in the declaration of a state of emergency, an international travel ban, national lockdowns and a general economic depression.

“We have carefully considered the effect of the pandemic on international pageantry, the Miss Namibia pageant for 2020, as well as the Miss Teen Namibia pageant for 2020, the health of the supporting members of the public and of prospective participants and in particular, the dire financial consequences of the pandemic on the pageants’ sponsors,” Maritz said.

Breytenbach said being Miss Namibia for another year is a great honour and opportunity for her. She, however, expressed sadness that the pandemic has forced her to suspend some projects she planned for 2020.

“Being Miss Namibia in such a difficult time was not easy, but it taught me many valuable lessons. Some of the most important lessons is that good health should never be taken for granted and that happiness is self-created. You should never look for happiness outside of yourself, but within yourself,” Breytenbach said.

She said her standout projects include one where she and Michelle McLean Bailey, Miss Namibia, Miss Universe and Miss Teen Namibia for 2019 as well as Schwane Blignaut, distributed Christmas food donations to Hope Village in Windhoek.

“It was amazing to spend some time with the children, hearing their dreams and goals for the future,” she said.

She said she would not forget her experience working with Side by Side Early Intervention Centre last year.

“This was the most special experience I have had in a very long time. Side by Side runs workshops for parents/caregivers of children with a disability all over the country and I had the privilege to join the team on a trip to Tsumeb,” she said.

Breytenbach said although the Covid regulations still do not allow her to do much this year she is looking forward to doing a lot of things to better the lives of many Namibians, especially children.

“Hopefully I will join the Side by Side team on more workshop trips. I am already soliciting more donations for Hope Village children’s home,” she said.

According to Breytenbach, becoming Miss Namibia is not a gradual process. She said it is important to know who you are and why you contested in the first place. “Sudden you are crowned and everything is turned inside out. You are faced with so much criticism and so many eyes are on you,” she said.

With the search for the next Miss Namibia on, the Windhoek-born queen advises aspirants to be ready for hard work. “To win the title brings a lot of responsibility. It is very important to understand who you are, what you stand for and why you signed up. It is so easy to feel confident when you are surrounded by friends and family, et cetera, but you must be able to stand on your own away from your support system,” she said.

Breytenbach advised the youth to be grateful for what they have. “There is always something to be grateful for, so focus on that. Each year I make a vision board for myself. This is motivating and can pick you up when everything is going wrong,” she said.

Breytenbach said she would also show the youth how powerful having the right mindset is.

“I am lucky that I work with a lot of young adults and I can share the story of the obstacles I have faced. I often talk to them about mindset, what it is and how to work on it,” she said.

She said when she feels low she gets inspiration from a quote by author Chin-Ning Chu: “A successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one’s own path, not chasing after the dreams of others.”

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