Lagos, Nigeria - LUKUNDO Nalungwe, 22, has become the first Zambian to win the prestigious M-Net Face of Africa award after she beat nine other contestants in a pulsating contest held at Eko Hotel in Nigeria.
The Zambian representative later broke down at a Press conference held after the contest when asked how it felt to win the coveted award.
Lukundo, who has attempted the title three times previously, recounted how she at one time could not make it for the country auditions following the death of her younger brother.
Lukundo looked confident in her catwalk with her two stunning dresses designed for her by Yemi Osunkoya of Nigeria and Angela Mulenga of Zambia.
With the win, Lukundo wins a three-year contract from Oluchi%u2019s O%u2019 Model Africa, $50, 000 in cash from M-Net, skincare products for 12 months from Iman Cosmetics and a trip to New York this Saturday to participate in the New York Fashion Week.
Of the initial 10 contestants, the panel of judges who included the M-Net Face of Africa inauguaral winner Oluchi Omweagba-orlandi, ThisDay editor-in-chief Nduka Obaigbena, Arise Magazine Helen Jennings and fashion stylist Megan Kruger, shortlisted five contestants.
These were Rosonna Hall (Zimbabwe), Ernania Rainha Manuel (Mozambique), Marvis Chinelo offor (Nigeria), Thembi Kobedi (South Africa) and Lukundo herself.
Then after what looked like a long wait, especially for the five finalists, the number was again reduced to three, that of Lukundo, Rosanna and Ernania.
However, there was always going to be one winner, and Oluchi had the pleasure of announcing Lukundo as the deserving winner.
Lukundo was ecstatic, and so were the other neutrals in the audience who thought of the three remaining contestants, the Zambian was the more deserving as she represented everything that an African face has, much the same way as Oluchi.
The 22-year-old was born in Kabwe but grew-up in Lusaka where she is currently residing and studying for a diploma in Business Administration at the Zambia Centre for Accountancy Studies.
She loves movies and she lists Van Helsing, The Matrix, Transformers, Harry Potter, Pirates of the carribean and 300 as her favourite films.
The Face of Africa show started with the 10 models revealing exquisite works of art from across the continent dressed by fashion designers.
They also did a fashion scene of resort collections directly from Paris featuring Christian Lacroix,Emmanuel Ungaro and Versace.
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