Above: Winner of the title of Miss Ethiopia 2009 Chuna Okaka
(C) poses with the first runner-up Meron Getachew (L) and the
second runner-up Samrawit (R) during the Miss Ethiopia 2009
Beauty Pageant in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, Jan. 18, 2009.
(Xinhua Photo)
A 22-year-old university student from Gambella won the title of Miss Ethiopia beauty competition held here on Saturday.
The winner, Chuna Okok, a sophomore at the faculty of business and economics, Addis Ababa University, outranks all of her 20 competitors.
She won Miss Ethiopia 2009 contest and received an award of diamond ring worth 60,000 Birr, according to competition organizer Ethiopian Village Adventure Playground.
The 1963 Miss Ethiopia winner Ejigayehu Beyene has put the crown for this year’s Miss Ethiopia winner, Chuna Okok.
Winner of the title of Miss Ethiopia 2009 Chuna
Okaka (R) wears the cordon during the Miss Ethiopia
2009 Beauty Pageant in Addis Ababa, capital of
Ethiopia, Jan. 18, 2009.(Xinhua Photo)
After being named Miss Ethiopia of 2009, Chuna said that she was excited to win the title as it would leave a message that Ethiopia is a home for beautiful people in its all regions.
Girls attend the finals of the Miss Ethiopia 2009 Beauty Pageant in Addis
Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, Jan. 18, 2009. Chuna Okaka won the title of Miss
Ethiopia 2009. (Xinhua Photo)
Chuna is to take part in Miss World Cultural Heritage of 2009 due to be held in Namibia this year, according to the organizer.
She would have great contribution in promoting her homeland Ethiopia, the organizer said.
oh I am proud of chuna okok! the (most beautiful) girl from Gambella, oh damn this is good. I expect her to be the miss world 2009.
oh chuna I am really proud of you girl.
What the hell you are talking about?
Where she is from is what beauty mean to you?
We had seen lots of beautiful,… but like this one ever.
….
No… It might be 99.9% ex or co.
That’s what I’m talking about. Ethiopia is a multi ethnic country and to see a girl from Gambella winning Miss Ethiopia shows us that indeed Ethiopia is changing for the better. Every ethnic group in Ethiopia is equal. God bless Ethiopia!
YES, GOD BLESS ETHIOPIA !!!!
That is what I am talking about. Beauty means true. true means beauty. Ethiopians are beautiful people, who have extraordinary diverse quality. Just like our Gambella beautiful girl. We also have others beauties from afar, welayta, sidamo, gurage, amarha, tigre etc.
This is not a bona fide Miss Ethiopia contest. Why don’t they send her to International Beauty contests Like Miss World or Miss Universe instead of her a diamond ring worth 60,000 birr. please!
But good luck to her
Chuna Okaka CONGRATULATIONS!
Your organizers are sending you to “Miss World Cultural Heritage of 2009″ ???
Where is it and what is it about?
congratulations lady. Though i have never expected you to win, it is nice to have you in the podium winning the race.
It is time the beauty of all tribes in Ethiopia are recognized !!!
Fantastic and beautiful! Congratulations!
Woyane’s Affirmative Action to win the hearts and minds of the people of Gambela. That is the fact.
Congratulations to the Winner! It is about time that Ethiopians began looking at “beauty” as a state of mind rather than just as looks! But I have just a few questions: Why has someone put the cordon on her upside down, and why do functions look so disorganized at times in Ethiopia? Is it because organizers are so disorganized and primitive that there appears to be an atmosphere of helter skelter in so many functions—private, social and even governmental?!
beautiful Chuna Okaka
CONGRATULATIONS!
Good news, but how many times is this news being recycled?? no more news out there?
Congra Chuna!!! we know that there are beautiful ladies in all region of Ethiopia.
But who gave the diamond for you? Is that the organizers or …?
Wonderful! It is about time that we show the world who we are and what we look like. Chuna Okok is pretty , intelligent, exotic and ETHIOPIAN. Above all she embodies our culture and diversity. Remember, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you think everyone have to look like Liya (I love her too) you are gravely mistaken. This is not about dissing the other girls but recognizing the other faces of Ethiopia.
Love you all,
Begudu
Proud of her! Nothing like a dark skin, beautiful woman. Love her smile too. It would’ve been nicer if we could also see a body shot.
she is more than beauty! Ethiopia is the place of different nationalities. The home of beautiful-Ethiopia.
It is good to see that look is not the only measure in pointing out beauty. For sure, there were many girls to be named Miss Ethiopia in that crowd if it was about outer beauty. It is not about the jewel she got or the money she received. It is not about who gave her what either. It is a message to all girls in Ethiopia that they are important no matter their economic, ethnic and social status differences. The time is overdue that we recognize the role of girls and women in our society. Ever wonder where everyone of us would be if it was not for some woman (women for that matter) in your life? Ever wonder where your family be? One suggestion though. Why don’t we write their earned title in our own alphabet? Why not “Weyzerit Ethiopia”? The event was about us by us right? Let us honor our heritage too. Congrats to the new “ye Konjo awra”!
Since when did this people started looking at inner beauty? Even if it is good for the politics,what about the truth?
Listen, I am half Ethiopian and half Italian. And I am proud of being Ethiopian. I want to remind you that for one to be an Ethiopian, one does not necessarily has to be from Addis and surroundings. Being dark black by itself its a beauty.
Lets concentrate on our unity. Stop negativity.
Congratulations Chuna!
God bless Ethiopia.
congra chuka u’re one of the most beautiful women in the planet!
These 2 photos are the only ones I have seen so far. Does anyone know where we can see more pictures anywhere? Besides her having beautiful skin and a great smile my opinion is that she won “just to bring variety and just because she is from gambela” and to my recollection no one has won from there yet.
Pageants are about outer beauty. Once that is accomplished, then your personality and your intelligence comes though. THAT is what pageants are.
anyhow.. congrats to chuna.
I don’t know about this one. I know we are not supposed to be negative but C’mone people look at the runner up and the 3rd place finishers. I don’t know how the Miss Ethiopia competition works but the result was just wrong.
Beautiful to see a dark skinned women crowned. People around the world have been brainwashed to think otherwise. The minds of people that have been brainwashed may not find Chuna beautiful, but, those of us that really know black is beautiful can easily recognize that Chuna is more beautiful.
Ethiopia can in fact help to curve a worldwide negative attitude toward dark skinned people.
I agree with you Ras Antar, it is about time that we learn and accept that we are all equal in the eyes of God and being black skinned is also a beauty we cant lose. We don’t have to be another M. Jackeson to be brainwashed and deny who we are.
Congratulation Chunna, you are a BEAUTIFUL AFRICAN QUEEN.
God bless Ethiopia
Words failed me to express my appreciation. You won just after you decide to take part the beauty pageant. Obama won, so there is no reason why you wouldn’t have won,
Egziaber bamsalu Yeseraw hulu konjo new!!!!!!!
what in z hell do you mean, she won z contest because she is unique by only her colour. Does’t she deserve to be miss ethiopia 2009?
Ras Antar… like black people in America that used to think everything is because they are black. Some things are not “just because”. There are valid reasons for why something just is or isn’t. Your .. “dark people are also beautiful route” is a bit 1990s. It’s not a question about color of your skin any more. Get over it. It’s a question about beauty. PERIOD. I have seen in my days, A LOT of darker than Chuna women that are more beautiful than any of those ladies I see in the pics. But I am sorry, Chuna isn’t one of those. And we should be careful what we chose just to make someone happy. We are representing our country Ethiopia. We need to represent Ethiopia properly. You want variety and one of our darker people in the pagent, well go find you one that is of Pagent caliber. There are SO many of them everywhere.
First of all I want to say that I love being Ethiopian because it is the fact. congratulation to Chunna ones again. For those who don’t know who they are I want to give you a little definition from one of the oldest dictionaries.
Who are the Ethiopians?
Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary – Cite This Source
Ethiopia: country of burnt faces; the Greek word by which the Hebrew Cush is rendered (Gen. 2:13; 2 Kings 19:9; Esther 1:1; Job 28:19; Ps. 68:31; 87:4), a country which lay to the south of Egypt, beginning at Syene on the First Cataract (Ezek. 29:10; 30:6), and extending to beyond the confluence of the White and Blue Nile. It corresponds generally with what is now known as the Soudan (i.e., the land of the blacks). This country was known to the Hebrews, and is described in Isa. 18:1; Zeph. 3:10. They carried on some commercial intercourse with it (Isa. 45:14). Its inhabitants were descendants of Ham (Gen. 10:6; Jer. 13:23; Isa. 18:2, “scattered and peeled,” A.V.; but in R.V., “tall and smooth”). Herodotus, the Greek historian, describes them as “the tallest and handsomest of men.” They are frequently represented on Egyptian monuments, and they are all of the type of the true negro. As might be expected, the history of this country is interwoven with that of Egypt. Ethiopia is spoken of in prophecy (Ps. 68:31; 87:4; Isa. 45:14; Ezek. 30:4-9; Dan. 11:43; Nah. 3:8-10; Hab. 3:7; Zeph. 2:12).
Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary.
There is so much to talk about the beauty of Ethiopia, that is the reason we should learn and study more about our history. There is more I can give you about us being the Ethiopian and beautiful, not of having the pointing nose or lighter skinned. If you have read Isaiah 18 the whole chapter,cause I know that you can read bible, maybe you can tell me who the tall with smooth skinned people are. Blue Nile(Abay) and the white starts from (Baro/Openo)in Gambella and joined lake V.
Anyways this is supposed to be a contest that should bring us all together as Ethiopians but some of us preach hatred and enmity, this way our country will never prosper unless we embrace our diversity and work together.
I wrote all these to give us all a clue and know that we should learn about who we are, cos some of us don’t really know themselves, but just speak what the mind think.
God Bless Ethiopia/ I love to see my country Prosper and only us can do it when we stop criticizing one another.
E-man, E. African
u deserve i girl!!!!!
This is on behalf of all my friends, family and I ( we are about 10 of us)
Miss Chuna Okaka CONGRATULATION,
You are so beautifully and glad that you won, hope you will also be the one to win Miss. Universe too.
lia and family
Conratualtions Chuna. This is the time. You are truly beautiful.
congratulation !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MISS Chuna!you did it!!
I Just wanna say it again and again!
Congratulations Ms Chuna. Now that you have shown not only your beauty but also your intelligence, you have much responsibility waiting for you to help your motherland Ethiopia. You may actually be faced with more challenges than you might have expected, but you have to cope with it. Your victory was a surprise for many in our country, but you did it like President Obama! It was a great victory and a great history. I am sure you will do a great job!
I wish you all the best in your endeavors!
Habib
I am so happy she won. Hope she will represent our country Ethiopia very well. So happy for her and good luck.
congratulations Ms. Chuna. You did a great job! I love Ethiopia. keep your hard work. You are a natural beauty. And good luck! God Bless Ethiopia.
congratulation!!! Ms. Chuna we are all proud to be Ethiopians.
Congratulations Ms.Chuna Okok!! I am so proud and happy to see this girl from Gambella.
Thank you and good bless all of you guy.
oh I am very happy by the selection of the Gambela special beauty girl. To Meron and specially to Samrawit, I need to express my Hot good wish (Bertu in local)
Engeneer:Abrham Shiferaw
Everyone is giving her this backhanded compliment of, “I’m glad they’re not just analyzing looks…” and “It’s the personality that matters!”. Open your eyes, this is a beautiful woman who has black skin and, no, that does not detract from her beauty at all it makes her even more beautiful. She is not beautiful DESPITE her blackness…she is simply beautiful
Congratulations Ms. Chuna Okaka
Do we really think this pathetic attempt at Ethiopian affirmative action fools any one? Beauty is beauty; if we are going to send a girl to compete with the best in the world, we must know the standards or we are simply fooling ourselves.
Certainly the International judges will not be mesmerized by her Ethiopinaness……
My Guess is we will come back empty handed , and we will scratch out head and think of what next event there is to organize next year.
What is up with Eiss Ethiopia 1963 puting the banner on her upside down? LOL
Teddy,
The international standards are based on European Cultural Domination. Educated people think for themselves.
Congratulation Chuna Okok! I am so proud of her. That’s the only word I want to say here. You deserve the Crown!
As Dunno mentions, there appears to be only two or three photos on the majority of sites and they are the same ones. However, try http://www.destazena.com and there are hundreds of images in the Entertainment pages. As for comments about Chuna, I think Meron should have won as she has the looks to compete in the bigger, official world competitions. If politics, favoritism, promotion etc. etc. was kept out of the Ethiopian pageants, Ethiopia could easily become regular winners of the top International competitions as they must have at least 1 million 18 to 20 year olds that can win all the biggest competitions.
Congratulation Chuna you have an impressive posture and a lovely smile and clear face like sky. You deserve it my dear girl.
I like you.
bless your family and Ethiopia
chuna and all girls in Gambella, Congrajulations I am so happy and proud there is a lot ot beauty in Gambella that I have discovered in my two years stay. you all are beautiful
lina
u go girl
I am so happy to see a young girl from Gameblla won the miss Ethiopia tittle. This shows and gives young girls can do anything and beauty comes in different color and shapes. Beauty does not only mean lighter skin and long hair. This means a lot for young girls who suffer from low self esteem.
It’s wonderful to see a Gambellan beauty and from Ganbela tribe; it is finally recognized in Ethiopia.The East African noted well said the quotations from the biblical perspective.
Congratulations Miss Ethiopia!
its wonderful.
ithink she about to won miss world! will see wat iz gonna happen anyways gud luck ethio konjo!!!!
She is absolutely a beautiful girl! Beauty comes in many shades, and we Ethiopians are a reflection of that. There is a lot of blogs about inner beauty, Chuna is beautiful inside and out! Who said you have to be a light skin girl with European features to be considered beautiful?!!
Congratulations to her and her family!
congratulations!
i new it would happen. now open your eyes and keep goin
I am 2 late miss chuna,congratulations!i am proud of u.i have never think of such 2 happen 2 u or 2 other else.natural beautiness .i have no word 2 say,u r like baro river in Gambella,bridgh,jejebe.real Queen!!!
Hermosa mujer!!! Preciosa y elegante, mujer maravillosa en el mundo! Felicidades!!!
Felicidades desde Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Diana Lucero, Argentina que vive en España.
Congratulation Chunna, you are a BEAUTIFUL AFRICAN QUEEN.
The time has come to make Ethiopia for Ethiopians. After hundreds of years non stop fight for freedom and equality Chuna Okaka who were rejected, named all kinds of names, and being harassed, by Amarech, Almaz, Alemitu, Mekonnen, Abebe, ……… finally she made it to the top of the mountain to announce to the world “YES WE CAN” like president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. The word Ethiopia given to the land not to the people who live in the land. The Greeks didn’t give the word Ethiopia to the land; they gave the word Ethiopia to the people who live in the land. As we know the land of Africa is not dark or black; it’s green gorgeous land. You can’t lie the blackness of ETHIOPIAN to the world. There is nothing wrong with being black. If Ethiopians are not black, then what are they? Just reference the Bible, Num.12 [13] And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman who he had married. Genesis 10:6 says, Cush was the first-born son of ham and the grand son of Noah. He was father of nimrod who became a great hunter, builder, and ruler. Zipporah (the wife of Moses), the queen of Sheba, Candace (queen of Ethiopia), and the Ethiopian eunuch (one of the first African converts to Christianity) are some of the descendants of this black progenitor. Please let us embrace non northern ethnic groups and live together to build the country instead of declaring our own tribe as having the only beautiful women or face in Ethiopia and falsely imagining of your tribe as superior than others. Also don’t go around telling our old history. The old history belongs in the museums and it doesn’t have value in today’s world. It didn’t save us from hunger or from being resettled in South and West of Ethiopia (the state of Chuna).
Ethiopia is changing for the better under the face of her enemies and that’s all we care about. Love mama Ethiopia. Congra Miss Ethiopia…………Yes you made it, now you opened a door for so many other tribes of Ethiopia to come forward. You made us proud.
I,m not Ethiopian I,m South Sudanese who spent most of his childhood in Ethiopia. So I love having hand in Ethiopians activities.
Congrats Chunna Okok Ojullo, though am late to congratulate you from the day one. You did incredible thing to your motherland Ethiopia, your family yourself and friends too. I know you could be doing amazing thing from the day I met you in Gambella in 2007. Keep the spirit burning and take what you did to the next level.
what a hell r u talking a bout? a lot of u saying dark skin is that a lack of English or stupidness? what a bout ur color r u white,red,blue,brown,black,pink n asiantic people
plz give up such a stupid attitude toward our color(black)
am bling bling
in G_city
congra chuna n dont misbehave like those people
10Q
Chuna’s beauty start from her confidece to run to the beauty compettion. please, let’s not corrupt our mind to deny her courrage,firmness to stand still to the final moment. Believe it or not she can convince the judges and become miss Eth. 2009. Congra, Chuna.