Friday, November 1, 2024

Sampson off to Miss World pageant

Reigning Miss Botswana beauty queen, Karabo Sampson, left for London yesterday (Tuesday) where she will compete for Miss World 2011, which takes place on November 6.

Speaking to Telegraph Entertainment, Sampson said the fact that Batswana women are very strong and proud of their roots makes her appreciate being a Motswana woman herself.

Looking a bit tired from the many interviews she had prior to her departure, Sampson still manages to flash a smile when she talks about the upcoming Miss World competition.

As part of her preparations for the competition, Sampson relates that she has been closely working with Botswana Tourism who have provided her with reading material.

Sampson points out that the reading materials are on Botswana and they have given her a chance to take an in-depth look into Botswana and learn the history. The beauty explains that she won’t be just focusing on tourism but rather on other issues, such as culture as it plays a role in shaping the society.

She adds that she has also done an in-depth into controversial issues but focused on issues of the CKGR and Basarwa so that if ever the issue arises, she stands a better chance of talking about it without offending anybody.

Sampson has also worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on crush courses about etiquette, especially public speaking.

The Grand Palm, on the other hand, helped the queen with etiquette classes on dining.

Asked when she expects to be back from the competition, Sampson is quick to point out that it will be in a long time because she intends on bringing the crown home.

The young woman highlights that, among other qualities she has, she is able to remain calm in nerve-wrecking situations – a trait she intends to use in the competition as an advantage over the other girls.

As part of her Beauty with a Purpose project for the competition, Sampson reveals that she has been working with the Ministry of Health, focusing on issues of improving maternal health in Botswana.

She notes that maternal health should be of concern because a lot of youth fall pregnant and end up doing backstreet abortions since there are no means in place to educate or support them properly.

The beauty queen says that while working on the project, they realised that the Maun region is the most affected with a high number of teenage pregnancy cases that need to be curbed before it gets worse.

Commenting on whether she feels pressured because former Miss Botswana, Emma Wareus, was crowned first princess last year, the ever calm Sampson admitted that the pressure is there, yes.

She, however, said that she is going to the competition as Karabo and not Emma and she will offer the best she can give.

Sampson said that, however, with the tips she got from her conversations with Emma, she is well equipped for the competition.

Beyond Miss Botswana and Miss World, Sampson says she sees herself running the Miss Botswana pageant because it takes someone who has been involved in the competition to understand certain aspects. She states that she also sees herself as a radio personality because it is an amazing platform to reach out to people.

The sponsors that contributed towards getting Sampson ready include Debswana, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, BNYC, Mafia Soul and Pearls and Lilies, among others.

RELATED STORIES

Read this week's paper