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"I am simply blessed and inspired by the Almighty who surrounds me with great people and gives me the strength to do what I do. There is a reason why America has become my other home, and I believe God has placed me here for a purpose." Lady Kate Atabong Njeuma.
Click here to see the 2007 delegates
UGPulse Promo
All the way from Cameroon, is an extra-ordinary, multi-talented, charismatic African woman, whose travels from one continent to the other have left a mark on the people she has worked with. Now known to the African community in the Diaspora as Lady Kate Atabong Njeuma, she has done everything from film production to nursing. While at it, she established one of the most prestigious beauty pageants in America - the Miss Africa USA Scholarship Pageant. Lady Kate has proved that there is no limit to what one can achieve, if one sets their mind to it. Pauline Long had the opportunity to find out what makes her tick.
Lady Kate Atabong Njeuma.
Pauline: Who is Kate Atabong Njeuma?
Lady Kate: I'm Lady Kate, as most people call me. I am married to a wonderful husband, Mr Isaac Njeuma and have two lovely children; Livita Njeuma, 7, and Embelle Njeuma ,4. I was born and raised in Cameroon but moved to United Kingdom at the age of 18 to acquire higher education. While in the UK, I attended Victoria University of Manchester and graduated in 1994 with a Bachelors degree in Economics and Social Sciences. Soon after obtaining my BA, I decided to switch careers and begun to study Professional Nursing at Kingston University and St. George's Medical School in Tooting, London. I proceeded to work as a nurse for a few years and then went back for a one year post-graduate program at South Bank University, London where I obtained a Post-graduate Diploma in Health Education.
It seems to me you had a lot going for you career-wise in the United Kingdom, what prompted your
move to the USA?
Indeed, I had plenty of opportunities come my way in the UK, but my move to the USA was prompted by the fact that I met the love of my life, Isaac who lived in the US. Naturally, I had to join him in order to start a family together. Having said that, America is a land oozing with opportunities. It is a place where you realise your dreams and make them come true. So many doors opened for me in America and so, I do not regret my decision to emigrate.
Mr and Mrs Njeuma.
Does that mean you don't miss England?
Well, I still miss England a lot and I am still very attached to London! People there are very cultured; the English culture is very interesting and I think that I still have a little bit of the interest in me but I am now enjoying the American culture whilst upholding both my African and British cultures.
Culture - you mention that very often. What does it mean to you to have one and uphold it?
Actually, having grown up in Cameroon, been educated in England and married in the USA, I feel like I'm in a good position to talk about culture. I have appreciated and experienced a taste of all three different continents and I guess that's what makes me who I am now; Lady Kate Njeuma. I feel blessed to have had all these different experiences and I think it is very enriching and makes one more open minded and appreciate that we are all different but we are still part of the global village.
Regarding African culture, growing up as a young woman in Cameroon, I learned many important values. Ultimately, this is a culture that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I learned to respect the people around me, especially anyone older than me. I learned that a woman has a very special and powerful role in society as the guardian of her home, family values that ensure closeness within the family and has the desire to protect and nurture, knowing that her family will always be there for her. Family in Africa does not mean just your brother, sister, mother or father. It includes the whole extended family system. I grew up in a community where no one could be left to go hungry; if ever, you didn't have any food to eat, you could readily knock on your neighbour's door for help and you would never get turned away. So, I think that this culture is so rich and extremely important to hold on to.
As for British culture, I moved to England from Cameroon at the youthful age of 18. In Britain, I attended university and worked for some time, before crossing over to USA. I was still growing up and learnt a lot along the way. The British culture definitely had a great influence on my personality and the person I am today. I learned to be very discrete, lady-like and thorough in whatever task I undertake. As a lady, one has to conduct one's self in a certain manner. The British culture helped to mould me as a classy but down to earth lady.
Turning to American culture, I am very blessed to have experienced all these other different cultures but coming to America completely changed my view of the world. America opened my eyes and enabled me to realise that I can venture into different things and if I stay focused, can make things happen. America is full of opportunities for everyone. When people talk of the 'American Dream', they are referring to a place where you can dream and actually make your dream happen. The culture is open and people express themselves freely. So, I kind of re-developed myself to able to take bolder steps and not be afraid. I realised that our common history with America forms an inevitable bond and there is no better place to promote Africa in the Diaspora than here in America. I have often wondered why a lot of Americans remain ignorant about Africa, yet a good portion of the American population are African descendants. I strongly believe that as Africans, we need to step out of our comfort zones and our shells and kind of let others in, to learn more about us; who we really are and where we come from.
In addition, if people understand Africa, they will love and embrace Africa. But if we keep our heritage to ourselves and not share our experiences, then the world will remain ignorant about us. It is vital for Africans who have made it to America and are financially comfortable not to forget where they came from and for them to use the opportunities they get here to support the disadvantaged and needy people who they left behind in Africa.
Lady Kate Atabong Njeuma (2nd from left) with friends.
Americans love to give, love to help and I think we can appeal to them to help Africa. We are strongly connected through history and I know they will help. A lot of African-Americans I know are very excited when learning things about Africa. They want to visit the mother continent, they want to find their lineages, where they came from, etc. We can help them to do that. It only goes to make the world a better place. I am simply blessed and inspired by the Almighty who surrounds me with great people and gives me the strength to do what I do. There is a reason why America has become my other home, and I believe God has placed me here for a purpose.
Let us talk about the all important
Miss Africa USA Scholarship Pageant;
how did you come to establish this prestigious contest?
Miss Africa USA Scholarship Pageant is very prestigious in deed and anyone who wins the title holds it with dignity because she knows she's representing a continent that is the envy of the rest of the world. For an emigrant living in America, it is easy to forget his/her roots, especially the younger generation. In my quest to engage young Africans and the African community in the Diaspora, I realised that founding Miss Africa USA was the best avenue to take - a move which I must confess was very bold. The world admires beauty queens and the beauty queens can shine the light on our continent and draw some support for our needy people. When we started off, it was a very small affair and it wasn't very easy to reach out to potential supporters. However, three years on, we are seeing a huge transition and Miss Africa USA is one of the biggest beauty pageants held for Africans in America.
What do you mean when you say
'one of the biggest'?
Firstly, our audience and supporters are not just Africans. We now have a huge support network from native Americans, African-Americans and other ethnic groups. In fact, this is our biggest year, with twenty contestants from as many different African countries. Africa has 53 nations and all were represented but the preliminary elimination stage left twenty contestants in the race. This process involved holding contests in different states. This year, we started the preliminaries in January and ended them in July. We held contests in Georgia, Texas, New York/New Jersey, Maryland, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Florida.
What are the objectives of the pageant?
Miss Africa USA is a pageant that empowers young African women to take on humanitarian work. We highlight issues affecting Africa which are ignored by the rest of the world. Education is our prime subject of interest. In Africa, there are many children who are not given a chance to get an education, particularly the African girl children.
How exactly do you highlight on the issues affecting the continent with regards to education?
Fighting against illiteracy is a very huge task. So, we are doing it from the grass roots by supporting under-privileged children through education and book drives which involve providing books to various African schools. In terms of seeing the children go through with their education, we are currently sponsoring some children in Cameroon and Liberia and are slowly expanding the sponsorship to other African nations.
How important is this title and what duties is the winner expected to carry out during her reign?
Winning the contest and holding the Miss Africa USA Scholarship Pageant title bestowed upon a beautiful young African woman means more than just the physical beauty she possesses. It means that the title holder uses her power in a positive way to knock at otherwise difficult doors. People will always listen to her, and through her, we organise fundraisers for African children's charities. We already have alliances with charities in Cameroon, Nigeria and Congo. We also have a whole list of charities approaching us which deal with cancer awareness, child labour and HIV/AIDS. The charity that we support officially is the G
Malaika Foundation - founded by Congolese supermodel Noella Coursaris Musunka, who is also the official host of this year's pageant. The charity is dedicated to unlocking the potential of African girls in the Congo by increasing their educational opportunities. We are also working with Foadac, Nkongbong Women's Association and the African Women's Development Foundation. We source support for all these organisations and partner in fundraising and other hands-on activities for them in Africa.
What challenges do you often face
in organising an event of such calibre?
The pageant is a very expensive production; therefore, there is always an element of financial strain that I have to deal with. We give out a scholarship to the winner, donate to charities and fund the winner's trip to Africa. All this adds up to a staggering sum of money. We partly rely on sponsorship but I foot a huge chunk of the bill.
The other challenge I face is the networking aspect of it. Africa is made up of 53 countries, which have to be represented at equal levels. There are continuous phone calls, one after the other, time after time, as we try to reach out to different communities, from the Congolese through Sudanese, Kenyans, Nigerians, South Africans and the rest. We are very appreciative of the community support we get. In the beginning, we had more than one contestant representing a particular country but now we have only a single contestant represent a country and this has made the show more popular as nationals rally to support their representative.
It is only a few days to this year's
show. How are the preparations coming along?
Oh yes, the countdown has begun everything is in place. We are now rounding up the judges. We are all calm and the contestants are very excited about the prospect of being Miss Africa USA 2007.
Let us briefly talk about this year's judges; how many have you appointed and what criteria did you use to pick them?
First and fore most, in order to qualify to be a judge, one has to support and share the mission and vision of the pageant. This year, a panel of 15 carefully selected Judges will judge the pageant. A team of professionals selects them. The judges are mostly professionals or entrepreneurs; we try to attract famous people like business leaders and celebrities so that they too can help to get the pageant into the mainstream society columns and help us reach out to the people who can really help Africa.
Lady Kate Atabong Njeuma fields interview questions.
As the founder and CEO of
Miss East Africa UK, I always find sourcing judges is a challenge, let alone deciding on the categories to base the judgements. What
are they going to judge the delegates against to ensure the right person wins?
The judges have been split into groups of three, each judging a specific category. No judge will make judgements in a section not assigned to them. This year the delegates will be judged based on the following categories:
- Introduction of self: Confidence, poise, grace, presence, oratory skills and platform coverage.
- Talent: Self-expression through a showcase of talent, originality, presentation, entertaining abilities, creativity, artistic skill and cultural expression.
- Physical beauty and fitness: Beauty of the face and body, personal grooming, grace and elegance.
- African fashion: Style, grace, elegance, culture, traditional identity and confidence.
You will notice that we have left out the evening gown section because we want to keep it cultural and afro centric.
Well, that is a surprise. This year I removed the swimwear section from Miss East Africa as some contestants were not comfortable with it, especially
since most members of their families attended the event very well...what do you say about this?
We have attracted many African girls who regularly model and are college students. Therefore, the bathing suit has not been a problem to them. However, we too have had a few who are reserved about it. This year we are introducing African beachwear; this is something you can wear on a sunny African beach. We are trying to keep the entire pageant Afro centric.
What are you looking forward to most, on the day?
Just making sure everything is in place and may the best contestant win. I am looking forward to a bright future for the winner. I believe that each one of them is a winner in their own right.
Any favourites so far?
No, no favourites at all. Are you trying to get me into trouble or something? (Laughs). There is only one crown and someone has to wear it at the end of that evening. We groom the girls to understand that they have all won by flying the flags of their countries. Coming out to represent Africa is a winning attribute. There is always a lot of sisterly love that they all share and they become very good friends even well after the pageant, which is fantastic.
Any special guests lined up?
We have several African dignitaries attending - some all the way from Nigeria and other parts of Africa. We have NBA superstars Jerrod
Mustaf, Manute Bol and some other well-known people. You may be in for some surprises too. Let us wait and see.
Do you get Americans in the audience?
America takes interest in Africa. Those who come to the show are happy with what we do - I often get good feedback. Africa is not well promoted in the Diaspora. There are many Americans who want to learn about Africa and they are so excited about coming to the pageant. When they come and see the diversity; someone from Sudan looking and acting different from a Nigerian, they begin to understand that Africa is actually not a single country but a continent. The media does not give us the positive exposure we deserve, so we need to tell the world ourselves about who we are and what Africa is all about. Africa may not be as affluent as the west, but there are great values and cultures that we can share with others to them enrich their lives too.
Lady Kate with designer Bridget Moses.
Is there anything special planned before the show?
Yes. On the morning of Friday November the 2nd (before the show on Saturday November 3rd), we are holding a press conference at the Dr Martin
Luther King Centre. We are going back to history when the legendary Martin Luther King pioneered the civil rights movement the reason why we enjoy freedom in America. We are paying tribute to that.
Are there tickets available, and where can fans buy them?
Last minute tickets can be bought online and we are encouraging supporters to come and show some love to the beautiful and intelligent queens of Africa.
Lady Kate, let me get a bit personal......you are a wife, a mother of two, a
professional nurse, an actress, an aspiring entrepreneur who has founded
the Shrine of Africa and the
Miss Africa USA `Scholarship Pageant. How do you manage to juggle all these
and remain Lady Kate at the end of the day?
I get the energy from The Almighty and my positive surrounding. I strongly believe that if you want something in life, you must always reach for it. I receive abundant help from my mother, my husband and my sister. We are a close-knit family. Credit also goes to the team that I work with; they share in my vision and help me make it happen.
Do you think you will one day take on the pageant as a
full time job?
It is a possibility, but right now, I still like and enjoy being a nurse - it pays well. The pageant is not really a way to make money but away to promote my community, garner support for the needy in Africa and make a difference. Many people are negative about working with the African community and express despair when dealing with Africans. However, I am one of those people who think it is good to unite Africans. It is good to create a connection with everyone in a productive way. I love my African people and I am very proud of my heritage. I think if we all feel this way, it will reflect positively on how others view us.
Lady Kate Atabong Njeuma with friends.
Tell me about Shrine of Africa.
Shrine of Africa is the official producer of the pageant. We do movie production as well as event planning and production. The first movie produced by Shrine of Africa is Dream Kweens featuring four of the 2006 Miss Africa USA delegates. The movie is about a young African woman who comes to USA to realize her dreams but is faced with challenging cultural differences.
Dream Kweens featuring four of the 2006 Miss Africa USA delegates.
Do you have a part in the movie?
Yes, I do. I play a very small but powerful role as a director of a modelling agency.
When will Dream Kweens be released?
It will be released in mid-November. It very interesting to watch the talent cast. We are basically trying to promote young talent through movies. This movie in particular, shows that African women do not only excel in fashion and beauty, but that they have talent and they can be successful in other ways too. We are keen on telling African stories through film.
Do you see yourself competing with major
Hollywood film producers?
One day, with the right funding, we will hit it big. Remember, all this is currently funded from my pocket. We have many inspiring stories from Africa and we will try to pull talent from different African countries. We try to make it as diverse as possible. The cast of Dream Kweens includes a Kenyan, a Nigerian, a Gambia and a Cameroonian. Unlike Nollywood where films are made purely by Nigerians for Nigerians, we tend to think global, in order to broaden our marketing and involve a wider audience.
Africa has just lost a legendary musician - Lucky Dube, rest in peace. What are your views on this?
His death has left a vacuum in the African music industry and the circumstances of his death are very worrying. I have always seen Africa as a relatively safe haven but with all these guns finding their way in, it is very worrying. May his soul rest in peace!
Africa has been painted as the
'dark' continent by a lot of the media, what do you think of this?
I think they paint it that way because they think Africa is underdeveloped. There are many good things about Africa; we highly uphold family values and have a lot of respect for one another. Of all continents, Africa is the one with the closest natural environment. Only ignorant people call Africa a dark continent.
Most of your contestants this year
are very eager to be crowned so that they get to promote Africa. Why do you think Africa is lacking a good limelight, even though we have plenty
to show off?
We lack a positive limelight in the sense that those Africans living in Diaspora need to promote Africa. We need to unite our effort to promote the rich and beautiful continent. The problem is, we are all sitting in our comfort zones, doing our own little things. When I go to a Zambian event, they are usually so glad to see me because someone from a different country has shown them support.
African embassies need to do much more to promote our countries. Being an ambassador is not just about sitting in an office. They need to get out and interact with the world and the people they represent. They need to organise cultural events and to support and be part of the community. At this point, I must point out that Kenya is doing rather well, promoting tourism everywhere in America.
As an African community leader, do
you think Africa needs change?
Yes. Definitely. Moreover, it needs to come from within; from Africans. We get a lot of western help, but I think it is time to use our own initiatives to bring Africa to the forefront in terms of economy and social issues.
What would you change about Africa?
Leadership; I would encourage African leaders to become more liberal fellows. More women are needed in leadership positions in Africa. Look at Liberia as an example, achieving a milestone. However, this has to come from the women themselves. There is great potential in African women and I wish we could all see that. Africa is still a man's world. I am not a feminist but I believe that in order for Africa to progress, we need women leaders to take the continent to a level that will match the first world.
Africa should give the younger generation more opportunities to grow into successful citizens. I am a big advocate of giving young people the chance to showcase their abilities. These days, Africa has some young, dynamic and creative talent.
What does the future hold for Miss Africa USA Scholarship Pageant?
The future looks bright for us. Our long-term goal is to establish relations with different African embassies and charities in Africa to include them in our programmes. However, for now we are focussing on the few charities and embassies with which we have established strong links. If possible, we may go global, get delegates from Africa into America and have the show televised on national /mainstream stations. We would also like to collaborate with other beauty pageants. Please keep us in mind for future collaboration with Miss East Africa UK. In the future, we may also consider having an American delegate.
Thank you very much Lady Kate for taking
some time out of your busy schedule to talk to me.
Do you have any final words for your supporters?
On behalf of the entire Miss Africa USA Scholarship Pageant team, I would like to thank our corporate sponsors and media sponsors for providing us with sponsorship in 2007. We hope, as we grow, to get bigger sponsors. For the fans out there, thank you for seeing us through to the next year and I hope you will continue supporting us, year after year. However, I would like to express special appreciation for UGPULSE.COM for giving us the much-needed exposure.
Miss Africa USA.
Click here to see the 2007 delegates
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