Nigerian-born Pamela Uba, who recently made history as the first black woman to win the Miss Ireland pageant, has again averred that it feels incredible being the first person to achieve the feat.
Uba, who has Nigerian parents, was crowned Miss Ireland 2021 and became the first black person to hold the title after 74 years of the contest.
In a recent interview with Newsmen, the twenty-six-year-old medical scientist said “It feels really incredible to be the first black woman to win Miss Ireland since the contest started in 1947. This is because you don’t really see a lot of people like me doing things like this, especially, out here in Europe where we are still the minority.
“It is an amazing feeling to know that I have paved the way for other girls who feel that they really wanted to try something like this or who feel that they cannot do this because their colour might be an impediment. I am glad I have shown them that their colour does not make them different in a bad light. We should use the “black girl magic” in anything that we do. I also think that my colour does not set me apart from other people in a way that it puts me down from other people. It is something that empowers me and I feel that it should empower all black women too”.
When asked if she saw the crown coming, she said “I felt overwhelmed and blessed that all the hard work that went through getting there finally paid off. I was Miss Galway for a year and a half before the finals because of the pandemic. So, I was the longest reigning finalist as well.
Hence, it was as if all that hard work finally came to bear. I felt a rush of emotions, my mom was there in the crowd. It was such a proud moment for her, seeing me mount the podium and collecting the title as Miss Ireland, even though I was not an indigene of Ireland by birth. It was a really defining moment for me”.
Uba stated that she has been modelling since her college days. “I had always been modelling as a freelance model. I just got on a really good deal with an agency in March and part of the package was winning Miss Galway. It made me happy, fortunate and lucky because that was the agency that I always wanted to get on in Ireland. The pandemic allowed me to slow down in a way. I took the time to really delve into my creative sense”.
Harping on how the feat has impacted her life so far, she said “Winning Miss Ireland has definitely changed my life. It has shot me into the limelight in the media, especially, the first two weeks of winning the crown. My everyday schedule has changed and there is a lot going on in my life right now.
“It is a very “crazy” experience, but it also humbled me in a way. I got to appreciate where I started, where it all began and where I might be going. My journey to Miss Ireland has enabled me to do so many things. One of the mottos we have in Miss Ireland and Miss World is ‘Beauty with a Purpose.’ Therefore, as an ambassador, you can use your platform to do a lot of things for your country. I have done so much this year.
“I am highlighting awareness for families for children living in direct provision. I also got to do a fundraiser for them and raise money to get them all iPads for their online schooling. As all the schools went online during the pandemic, the families of these kids wouldn’t have the financial means to do all that”.
