Nyakim Gatwech (born January 27, 1993) is an

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

n-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

model of

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

ese descent. She has attracted attention for her

dark skin Dark skin is a type of human skin color that is rich in melanin pigments. People with very dark skin are often referred to as "black people", although this usage can be ambiguous in some countries where it is also used to specifically refer to d ...

color and has achieved significant popularity on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

Biography

Nyakim Gatwech's parents lived in

Maiwut Maiwut is a city in Maiwut County in Upper Nile, South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, ...

, before they fled the

Second Sudanese civil war The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originate ...

Gambela, Ethiopia Gambela ( am, ጋምቤላ), also spelled Gambella, is a city and separate woreda in Ethiopia and the capital of the Gambela Region. It was known as Paanywaa( Anyuak Country) Located in Anyuak Zone, at the confluence of the Openo River and its ...

, where Gatwech was born. From there, they migrated to

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

where they lived in refugee camps until they migrated to the US when Gatwech was 14 years old. Originally settling in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, Gatwech later moved to

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Although she has never been to South Sudan, Gatwech considers herself to be South Sudanese. She considered a modeling career after taking part in a fashion show at St. Cloud State University. She has appeared in promotional posters for the 2017 film ''

Jigsaw Jigsaw may refer to: * Jigsaw (tool), a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves * Jigsaw puzzle, a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of interlocking pieces Arts and media Comics * Jigsaw (Marvel Comics), a supervillain and arch-enemy of ...

''.

Social media

Gatwech is known for her naturally dark skin color and has been nicknamed the Queen of the Dark. Gatwech has faced self-esteem issues and comments from people who promote bleaching to lighten skin color. She has over 985,000 followers on

References

1993 births Living people South Sudanese emigrants to the United States South Sudanese female models People from Gambela Region {{SouthSudan-bio-stub

Biography

Social media

See also

References