I met Hellen Hivita in December 2017 while in Calabar, Nigeria. I was part of the Miss Africa Calabar Digital Media team and she was one of the 25 contestants from as many countries. I was struck by this South Sudanese's singular beauty: the Lindt Excellence 99% dark chocolate complexion, a perfectly chiseled jawline, limbs that look extended. She stood out. And wasn't even trying.
"She's so dark!"
The girls arrived to a carnival themed welcome party with much media fanfare at Tinapa Lakeside Hotel. Hellen was fielding some questions from a local reporter and I remember someone remarking that "she's so dark!" with a negative undertone. I'm an old proponent of that Black is Beautiful mantra, so this made me feel a little uneasy. We all know that colourism is a real issue amongst black people, probably all over the world.
Nigerians though, are reportedly the worst culprits on the continent. The World Health Organisation has reported that they are the highest users of bleaching products with 77% of their women using them on a regular basis. That's a possibly a questionable statistic, I know that. But, there is also a lot of truth in there too. A lot of sisters - and brothers - there, are going in hard on those toxic products. There is little regard for the extensively documented negative side effects that these will eventually have on one's skin. Small wonder then, that someone can utter such a comment without as much as batting an eye.
Different shades of black
There are plenty others girls who look like her where she's from though. The legendary Alek Wek and budding star Nyakim Gatwech are her countrywomen. Theirs is simply one shade on a wide spectrum of melanin which has been divinely and purposefully created. You'd think that in 2018, this would be accepted as part of our everyday common truths. But, alas, black people still need to learn to appreciate themselves, and each other, as the miracle that we are.
Affected by the largest refugee crisis in Africa
Currently living in Juba, the capital city of South Sudan, Hellen hasn't always lived in her native country. Like over 2 million other Sudanese people, she and her family were affected by the Civil war, which has been dubbed the largest refugee crisis in Africa. It also brought with it South Sudan when the country split in two in 2011. Nonetheless, they left for Khartoum, in then Sudan in 1990. Four years later they took on an arduous and risky two week long journey to Ethiopia. While there, they stayed with other Sudanese families who were also running away from the war. Hellen got no formal schooling over that two year period. She later joined a school with children younger than her in Kenya where she pursued her education up to varsity level.
It was there that the modelling bug bit. She concedes that it started out as a joke when her friends pushed her to enter for Miss Kenya Methodist University. She won that pageant and went on to represent the University at the Miss Universities where she scooped the first runner up prize. She later met Rnaze Mukibi of Strut It Africa, a modelling agency that helped elevate her portfolio with various campaigns.
Being dark is being evil
Even while slaying, succeeding and getting thumps up from the industry, Hellen's dark complexion still got her a lot of negative comments. She shared that "they used to say that I’m evil because darkness is associated with being evil... that I need to shower and scrub myself
properly to remove the dirt." Nothing like a mother's love to cushion one from blows like these. "She always talked to me about how beautiful and smooth my skin is. I appreciate myself and love the skin that I'm in" added Hellen.
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| Looking at the future like... |
I made my country proud
It is this sense of being comfortable in her skin that made her want to be part of Miss Africa Calabar. She's aware that so many girls her complexion would rather be many shades lighter and she hoped that seeing "her kind" in a continental beauty pageant would showcase the many varied versions of beautiful that the continent possesses. She did not win, but made it as one of the top five runner ups; a feat she feels good about because she knows she made her country proud.
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| Hellen Hivita makes it to Miss Africa Calabar top 5 |
I never want to be a refugee again!
She's now looking forward to a future that entails never being called a refugee again, living in a peaceful country and working on building a clothing line business. She also works with various youth
projects on peace building and leadership. On these she partners with The Anataban Campaign, an artist collective which uses street theatre, graffiti, murals, sculpture and poetry to foster public discussions about issues of social injustice and government accountability, and transparency. The word means "I am tired" in Arabic. How fitting. We should all be tired of holding on to old ideas in the face of new truths.
Have any thoughts on the continuing issue of colourism amongst black people? Please, drop your comments below! ✍
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