Sudanese supermodel judges jewellery award in Namibia

Over the weekend, international Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek visited Namibia. She arrived on Friday afternoon in time to attend the final judging for the Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC) Shining Light Jewellery awards.

Prior to leaving for South Africa, Wek also visited the Etosha National Park yesterday.

Launched for the first time in 1996, the Shining Light Award aims to inspire and improve the future prospects of the South African jewellery industry by aiding the development of technical and design skills of South African designers. It also provides a clear ethos for South African jewellery design.

The competition was extended to include Namibia in 2007 and there were 60 original entries for the inaugural competition. In 2009 the second competition was launched; the winners are to be announced early next year.

Alek Wek first appeared on catwalks at the age of 18; she is a Sudanese supermodel from the Dinka ethnic tribe in Sudan. Her and her family escaped from the Sudanese civil war and traveled to Britain in 1991. Here, she was discovered at a London market in 1995 by a Models 1 scout. Wek appeared in the Tina Turner music video ‘Golden Eye’ in 1995 which gave her the initial attention to become a model and enter the world of fashion.

In 1997 she was famously the first African model to feature on the cover of Elle magazine. She is a member of the US Committee for Refugees’ Advisory Council and drawing from her own personal experience, works hard to raise awareness surrounding the current situation in Sudan, and the struggle of refugees globally. Wek is also a missionary for World Vision, a non-governnment organisation which serves to help combat AIDS. She also gives time to UNICEF and acts as an ambassador for Doctors Without Borders in Sudan.

In 2007, Wek published her autobiography which followed her journey from a poverty-stricken upbringing in Sudan to the glamorous catwalks of Europe, entitled ‘Alek: From Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel’.