WHO WILL BE THE ONE AND ONLY M-NET FACE OF AFRICA 2009....
....Benedicta Tweneboa-Kodua represents Ghana
October 2009
It's more than a name, more than a moment.
In Africa, for a decade, one search has led the way to find iconic, unforgettable African style.
That search is M-Net's powerful Face of Africa and this month, the legendary competition returns to television screens once more to tell a story of hope and opportunity, as the journey from Africa's busy streets to Africa's glamourous catwalks continues.
From Saturday October 31 at 5pm Ghana time (M-Net), and running 17 weeks, Face of Africa will cross countries, uncover fresh new faces, and
chart their rise to the top, from discovery to success, from potential to fame, from possibility to reality. Along the way, audiences will discover how Ghana's gorgeous Benedicta Tweneboa-Kodua was discovered at this year's audition in Accra and how far she's progressed in the competition.
Speaking as M-Net readies itself to screen a new expanded series, Africa Director Biola Alabi was clear on the project's legacy, its aims and its
outcomes.
"Over time, this initiative has shown that it is about so much more than just fashion and beauty. There is a bigger picture there to see, something more than shoes, and cameras and clothing. It's about young women with so much courage that they will leave their homes to find new
experiences, so much determination that they will venture into the unknown to discover themselves, so much passion that they will chase their dreams."
She goes on to say, "There's something so magical about this, so special to see, that M-Net wants to share it with audiences across Africa.
Because these are Africa's own and they are taking their chance to shine. We want to laugh with them, cry with them, celebrate with them
and now our audiences can do this, every step of the way."
With a winner prize of USD 50 000 plus a modeling contract with O Model Africa, the new season of Face of Africa began earlier this year with auditions in 14 countries - Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Further entry was open online to entrants from across sub-Saharan Africa who wished to participate gaining entries from as far afield as Sudan and Cameroon. The next step was the casting
sessions where a special team of model scouts evaluated entries and selected contestants to continue in the series.
Emotional, dramatic and entertaining, these castings were filmed and audiences will now be able to see behind-the-scenes of the search and
live the experience.
At the end of the audition phase, 24 models from16 countries were selected to participate in Model BootCamp, in Mombasa in Kenya. This
idyllic tropical paradise with its breathtaking shoreline served as backdrop for another selection round amidst modeling workshops, fashion
photo-shoots and television filming.
With some of the selected contestants exiting the competition at this point, the Mombasa BootCamp was action-packed, exciting and a little
tense, as contestants learnt, honed their skills and competed to remain in the competition under the watchful eye of BootCamp presenter and
former Face of Africa 2005 Kaone Kario.
With stops scheduled in Johannesburg as well as a second Model BootCamp in Dar es Salaam at Swahili Fashion Week, plus the shooting of a music
video with Nigerian superstar D'Banj, the Face of Africa adventure will be told every Saturday evening on M-Net, in the lead-up to the Face of
Africa 2009 Finale, to be held in Lagos on Saturday February 6, 2010.
For fans of the series, remember you can also log on to www.mnetafrica.com to watch exclusive footage, find out more about the contestants, access photographs and chat to other fans about this year's search.
Meanwhile as the search for a new Face of Africa gets underway, last year's winner Kate Menson is living her dream job. The 24-year-old has
been starring in M-Net's advertising campaign for the new season of Face of Africa and in addition, she recently completed a stay at the Big
Brother house. Other credits include appearances at Mozambique Fashion Week, New Delhi Fashion Week, Cape Town Fashion Week and New York
Fashion Week, plus she's appeared on the pages of Elle, Glamour and Cosmopolitan.
Now, as Kate continues her rise to the top of the fashion world, a new face is about to be transformed from aspiring model to fully fledged
modeling sensation...to find out who, simply follow the search on M-Net