In an interview with BBC News Pidgin, Chidimma shared her challenging experience, including being compelled to withdraw from the Miss South Africa pageant due to citizenship complications.
She revealed that talking about it is deeply emotional, admitting she had shed tears earlier during the conversation. Chidimma expressed her sorrow and heartbreak, feeling rejected by South Africans despite having lived there for 23 years, all because of her name.
The beauty queen acknowledged the hardship of the situation but emphasized her determination and resilience.
Chidimma said …
“It has been a hectic one, I think I’ve been avoiding it because it’s so emotional for me. I just cried earlier because I think I need to get used to talking about it.
It’s not a nice feeling at all and I think I’ve been avoiding it a lot, but it’s now starting to cloud and affect me, and I will have to deal with it and not suppress it.
What happened wasn’t a minor thing; it was a really major thing, but I will be okay.
South Africans felt I wasn’t South African enough because of my name. I lived there for 23 years. It’s heartbreaking to see I wasn’t welcome and accepted”.
Check out video below …
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“South Africans felt I wasn’t South African enough because of my name…. I had lived there for 23 years. It’s heartbreaking to see I wasn’t welcome and accepted”
The moment Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina broke down during an interview. pic.twitter.com/y934hLuc5b
— @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) September 3, 2024