By Ahmad Muto
Supermodel Aamito Lagum has revealed that Africa’s Next Top Model competition was her last attempt after several unsuccessful ones at doing modelling as a career.
She said the fact that modelling was not paying, it started frustrating her mother. Aamito made the revelation while appearing on former Vision Group boss Robert Kabushenga’s 360 Mentor Twitter Space on Monday, April 11, 2023.
The heads up that there was an opportunity at Africa’s Next Top Model, Aamito said, came from fashion entrepreneur Gloria Wavamunno, who sent her a message on Facebook, asking her to give it a shot.
Aamito was nonchalant at first, but then warmed up to the suggestion.
However, she had no money and so had to speak to her mother who was nolonger a big fan of her dream.
“I told my mother there was this thing I wanted to talk to her about. I told her it was the last time I was going to ask her for money and talk about modelling. Previously she would give me money for my modelling gigs. Then I would earn about sh50,000. She would pay for my transport and my lunch. She said she could not continue paying for me to go and work,” said Aamito.
Aamito eventually managed to convince her mother, who accepted to give her the money to go for Africa’s Next Top Model competition in Kenya; sh120,000 for only transport, no hotel, no meals.
She said it was the last time she was giving her money for modelling.
“I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya at 6:00am, morning of the competition. I told myself if I wasn’t not going to win, they should just drop me at the first stage. I wanted to be the winner, not a runner up. I didn’t eat anything in Nairobi. I had no extra money. They kept on dropping people till it was 7:30pm and I had to leave because the bus was leaving. I spoke to one of the producers and explained so I had to know if I had made it,” Aamito narrated.
This was 2013. Aamito got home and could not face her mother, who, on seeing her in the morning, said: “I told you.”
At that point, Aamito was thinking about becoming a PR practitioner.
Then a call came from one of the Africa’s Top Model producers, asking if Aamito was free for a call. Shortly afterwards, Oluchi Onweagba Orlandi, the franchise owner, called to tell her she had made it to the finals. Non-disclosure agreements were signed and they flew to Cape Town to South Africa with the other models.
Of the prizes – a contract with top modelling Agency DNA Model Management, New York, and cash prize of $50,000, she wanted the former; a contract with the modelling agency.
