Roshanara Ebrahim (born 15 October 1993) is a Kenyan model, author, television presenter, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Kenya 2021. As Miss Universe Kenya, she represented Kenya at

Miss Universe 2021 Miss Universe 2021 was the 70th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Universe Dome in Eilat, Israel on December 13, 2021. At the end of the event, Andrea Meza of Mexico crowned Harnaaz Sandhu of India as Miss Universe 2021. It is India's fi ...

. Ebrahim had previously been crowned ''Mr. and Mrs. Universities 2014'', Miss World Kenya 2016 (but was dethroned) and Miss Supermodel International Kenya 2018.

Personal life

Early life, family background and education

Roshanara was born in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

. She is of

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

- Somali descent, through her Persian father Mahmood Ebrahim, who is from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, and Somali mother Fatou Spirou, who grew up in Kenya. Although born in Nairobi, she grew up in Mombasa where her parents relocated to as they were in the gemstone business. In 2005, she attended Light Academy in Nairobi, and in 2006, she began attending Doon International School in Dehradun,

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. In 2011, she interned at Aga Khan Hospital in

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

, Kenya. From 2011 to 2015, she studied international law and legal studies at the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a collegiate research university based in Nairobi. It is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dates back to 1956, it did not become an independent univer ...

. Roshanara's brother Zul Ebrahim was the winner of ''Mr. Mombasa County 2016'' and participated in the ''Mr. World Kenya 2016'' contest.

Heritage

On December 3, 2021, Roshanara revealed her ancestral dna after having taken a ''MyHeritage DNA'' test from Miss Universe 2021's official sponsor MyHeritage, an online genealogy platform. According to MyHeritage, Miss Universe Kenya 2021 Roshanara Ebrahim has the most diverse heritage of all Miss Universe 2021 contestants. The test revealed she is of 34.2% Somali, 33.7% South Asian (including East African), 7%

North African North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...

, 3.6% West Asian (modern day

and

Turkic peoples The Turkic peoples are a collection of diverse ethnic groups of West, Central, East, and North Asia as well as parts of Europe, who speak Turkic languages.. "Turkic peoples, any of various peoples whose members speak languages belonging t ...

), 10.8%. Middle Eastern (

Abrahamic The Abrahamic religions are a group of religions centered around worship of the God of Abraham. Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch, is extensively mentioned throughout Abrahamic religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran. Jewish tradition ...

- Semitic -

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, Palestine), 4.2%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, Scottish, and

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

, 1%

Melanesian Melanesian is the adjectival form of Melanesia. It may refer to: * Melanesians * Melanesian mythology * Melanesian languages In linguistics, Melanesian is an obsolete term referring to the Austronesian languages of Melanesia: that is, the Oceani ...

(

Solomon islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, New Caledonia), 3.3%

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

, 0.9% Sierra Leonian and 1.3%

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

(

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

) heritage.

Career

Roshanara Ebrahim also goes by the nickname ''Roshanara Love''.

Modelling

Early Modeling and varia

Roshanara Ebrahim started modelling while she was a student at the University of Nairobi. From November 2012 to December 2014, she was a ''Strut it Afrika'' model. In January 2013, she became a ''Muse Limited'' director.

Professional Modeling and brand ambassador

In 2017, she joined ''Boss Models South Africa'' in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. She was a ''Rohto Mentholatum K Ltd.'' brand ambassador from January 2017 to August 2017, the chief executive officer of ''World Indigenous Model Search'' in February 2017. In 2018, she joined ''Full Circle Model Management'' in Cape Town and Ice Models Johannesburg in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...

, South Africa. In the same year, she became an ''African Grassroot Hoops'' brand ambassador. She was commissioned to strut for high-end luxury South African brand Maxhosa in the

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...

in August, 2019. Gracing the runway with Oluchi Onweagba, Young Paris,

Miss Universe 2019 Miss Universe 2019 was the 68th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Stage 1 of the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, United States on 8 December 2019. At the end of the event, Catriona Gray of the Philippines crowned Zozibini Tunzi of S ...

Zozibini Tunzi Zozibini Tunzi (born 18 September 1993), also known as Zozi Tunzi, is a South African model, actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe 2019. Tunzi had previously been crowned Miss South Africa 2019. She is the third ...

and

Demi-Leigh Tebow Demi-Leigh Tebow (née Nel-Peters; born 28 June 1995) is a South African model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 2017. She was crowned Miss South Africa 2017, and is the second Miss Universe winner from South Africa, following Ma ...

Atandwa Kani Atandwa Kani (born 6 June 1984) is a South African actor. He is the son of actor John Kani. Early life Kani was born on 6 June 1984 in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape. He was exposed to the entertainment industry at a young age by observing and l ...

from Black Panther, Aminat Ayinde from America’s Next Top Model and other superstars.

Zikomo Africa Awards

Roshanara Ebrahim was voted by Peoples's choice as Africa's ''Best Model of the month'' on December 28, 2021, by the Zambia-based Zikomo Africa Awards.

Pageantry

Mr. and Mrs. Universities 2014

Roshanara Ebrahim won the ''Miss Nairobi University 2014'' contest, which earned her an entry to ''Mr. and Mrs. Universities 2014'' which she also won.

Miss World Kenya 2016

After winning ''Miss Nairobi County 2016'', Roshanara Ebrahim was crowned Miss World Kenya in 2016, but was stripped off her title following a series of controversies. She was replaced by Evelyn Njambi the then reigning 'Miss Kiambu'. After losing her crown, Roshanara was embroiled in a lawsuit after her ex-boyfriend ( Frank Zahlten) leaked her nude photos, culminating in her being 'dethroned' of the Miss Kenya title. Following this, Roshanara sued her ex-boyfriend and the Miss Kenya organiser – Ashleys Kenya. On October 7, 2016, Mr. Apollo Mboya, Frank Zahlten's lawyer accused Roshanara of having abducted Frank and of being an alcoholic who had no integrity to hold the crown. Roshanara set the judicial precedent for the right to digital privacy against revenge porn in Kenya. A high court ruling delivered on December 7, 2016, ruled in favour of Roshanara, concluding that non consensual circulation of intimate images was a gross human rights issue, and that it breached the right to one's privacy under Article 31 (c) of Kenya's Constitution. The third respondent, Frank Zahlten (Roshanara's ex-boyfriend), was required to pay the petitioner (Miss Kenya) $10,000 in damages, for breach of her right to privacy. But she was not able to regain the Miss World Kenya 2016 title, which was given to her runner-up Evelyn Njambi, who finished in the Top 5 at Miss World 2016.

Miss Supermodel International Kenya 2018

Roshanara Ebrahim auditioned for and won the ''Miss Supermodel International Kenya 2018'' contest. And represented Kenya in China. In December 2018, Roshanara travelled to

Huizhou Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in central-east Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Heyu ...

, Guangdong Province of China. Where she participated in the World Supermodel All Star Championships. The seriousness of the show could be questioned as not a single international model made it to the final. And only won by an all Chinese podium.

Miss Universe Kenya 2021

Roshanara Ebrahim participated in the ''Miss Universe Kenya 2018'' contest but didn't make it through to top 20. She tried again in 2021. And on October 25, 2021. The

Miss Universe Kenya Miss Universe Kenya is a national pageant in Kenya that was first held in 2002 and an annual national contest to choose ambassador for the Miss Universe pageant. Miss Universe Kenya is not related to the previous Miss World Kenya or Miss Keny ...

organization announced Roshanara was among the top ten semifinalist contestants for ''Miss Universe Kenya 2021''. On October 30, 2021, she was crowned ''

2021''. Roshanara represented

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

at the ''

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...

2021'' the ''70th Miss Universe pageant'', on December 13, 2021, in Eilat,

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Miss Universe 2021

On November 27, 2021, Roshanara left for Israel to participate in the ''

2021'' contest. On day 3 of the Miss Universe competition, she was selected together with 9 other contestants to take part in the ''Haboydem Fashion Show'' in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. On December 10, 2021, Roshanara participated in the Preliminary Competition (Swimsuit & Evening Gown) and the National Costume Show, but was unplaced in the December 13, 2021 Final Competition.

Kenyan Pageant Record

Roshanara Ebrahim is the first Kenyan pageant contestant to have won the Miss World Kenya, Miss Supermodel International Kenya and

contests.

Other professions

International relations & diplomacy training

In March 2012, she was a ''Kenyan

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...

delegate''. From July 2013 to August 2013, she was a ''European International

'' delegate. And she served as chairperson for BITSMUN Pilani in February 2014 and for the ''Everest International

'' in October 2014.

Legal profession

In November 2020, she became ''MMA Advocates LLP‘s'' head of business development.

Charity work and advocacy

From September 2014 to December 2015, she was a

Kenya Red Cross Society The Kenya Red Cross is one of the many International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement societies around the world. The Kenya organisation was established in 1965, The Kenya Red Cross supports and runs a number of projects whilst raising aware ...

assistant project manager. and in 2015, she interned at the Kenya Red Cross Society branch in Parklands, Nairobi. In 2016, after the Miss World Kenya contest she joined ''

Smile Train Smile Train is a nonprofit organization and charity providing corrective surgery for children with cleft lips and palates. Headquartered in New York City and founded in 1999, Smile Train provides free corrective cleft surgery in 87 countries, ...

Kenya'' as an ambassador. And on December 11, 2021, she reaffirmed at the Miss Universe 2021 contest in Israel her commitment to continue her work with Smile Train.

Television and entertainment

In 2015 she worked for ''6:AM Entertainment Kenya'' as an event organizer. After the Standard Group announced her employment on one of their shows, Roshanara was a co-host alongside Sara Ndanu, who has been holding down the fort since its inception. An announcement was made on October 22, 2016, that she will be joining ''The Skin Therapy Show'' on KTN Home. She hosted “The Skin Therapy Show” from January 2017 to July 2018.

QHHT practitioner

On May 26, 2019, she became a QHHT practitioner. And in April 2020, she founded ''Jade Rituals'' in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. On May 27, 2021, her book “Beyond The Darkness: The Strategic Guide to the New Earth” was independently published. A book based on spirituality, self help and a happiness guide which elaborates on deep esoteric concepts with a touch of her life experiences.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebrahim, Roshanara 1993 births Kenyan beauty pageant winners Kenyan female models Kenyan feminists Kenyan people of Iranian descent Kenyan people of Somali descent Kenyan television personalities Living people Miss Universe 2021 contestants People from Nairobi University of Nairobi alumni