Miss Spring Lesotho runner-up heads for Poland
’MAKERESEMESE LETUKA
MASERU – Miss Spring Lesotho 2019 Second Runner-up, Boitumelo Sehlotho, will make history by becoming the first local beauty to represent Lesotho at the 13th edition of Miss Supranational 2022.
Miss Supranational is an annual international beauty pageant, held in Nowy Sacz, Poland. And for the very first time since the contest started in 2009, Lesotho will be competing among many countries represented there.
The 20-year-old finished the Miss Spring contest as 2nd Runner-up and Top Model in October 2019, and went on to represent Miss Spring at the Face of Lesotho where she emerged the Face of Lesotho 2019 queen.
Boitumelo, who enjoyed the Miss Spring feat while also studying towards her Bachelor in Accounting studies at the University of Free State in South Africa, told Life&Style: “I truly believe that young people in Lesotho are ambitious, talented and have a lot of potential. It is about time we let the world know that, it is about time we start taking up space not only in our country but worldwide.”
She continued: “We are normally not affiliated with international activities and I personally think it is about time we make it a norm. It is about time we set an example that anything is possible – and that not only ‘certain’ people can make it but all of us can with the right mindset and consistency.”
Going into the world to compete, the model believes the Basotho nation ought to expect a young person who takes pride in her unique nation, is proud to raise the national flag with honour, and let the world know that as the country’s youth they come from one of the only three enclaved counties in the world where they believe that they are only as strong as they are united and as weak as they are divided.
“I am honestly thrilled and nervous at the same but mostly humbled. Just being part of such a huge pageantry in the industry is breath taking and I cannot wait to learn and grow and see different cultures and experience a different country,” she said.
Boitumelo will also represent Lesotho at the Miss European Continental, which is a modelling-based competition that deals with fashion and fashion brands.
This is where different designers will be dressing their models and having them walk on the runway. “I wanted to be part of it as well because I wanted to walk on an international stage before the main competition of Miss Supranational and get a feeling and the hang of it.
“Furthermore, I love fashion. I love how I am able to experience myself through it. I truly think clothing is a form of self-expression; there are hints about who you are in what you wear,” she said.
Boitumelo has also participated in a modelling camp in South Africa which is where she got to know about the opportunity to participate in the Miss European Continental competition and she signed up. She, however, did not hear from the organisers for two years because of Covid-19 restrictions around the globe but they eventually contacted her inviting her to take part.
“I have always loved pageantry and I remember joining pageantry when I was about eight years and then at around 13 I stopped. I cannot really remember why I did but then when I went back to it in 2019 I fell in love with it all over again,” she recalls.
