Ndlovu scoops continental gong in Ghana

FORMER Mr Zimbabwe Bernard “Ben Chest” Ndlovu (pictured) continues to make strides in his modelling career after he recently scooped the Mr Continent Best Body gong at a show held in Accra, Ghana.

At the pageant, Ben Chest rubbed shoulders with male models drawn from 32 African countries.

Speaking to NewsDay Life & Style last week, Ben Chest said travelling to Ghana was an exploration and so far the best experience in his career.

“I am happy to have managed to scoop the biggest award, Mr Continent Best Body after I came sixth runner-up from 32 countries. For me this was a good performance considering how tough the competition was,” he said. Ben Chest said he started the Mr Continent pageant journey in 2021 after he was nominated by Zimbabwe Models Association.

“We started the packaging online, posting our costumes and marketing our countries and each country sent one delegate to represent it. I was nominated from Harare by the Zimbabwe Models Association to take up the journey,” he said.

“I took up the task and left Zimbabwe for Ghana on February 7 where I met other delegates. It was a nice experience for me for the first time. We got the opportunity to tour Ghana and do photoshoots, eat their food, learn their language and culture.”

“It was a very exploring experience. For me, that only was already a win, to travel that far and represent my country and lift the Zimbabwean flag high.”

Ben Chest said the competition was a platform for the participants to mingle and learn other people’s cultures.

“In Ghana, for me it was not only about competition, but also about these global icons, global influencers coming together to share experiences, teach each other and deliver services,” he said.

“The competition was the battle of the giants because everyone came prepared and the outfits were on point and countries delivered. I arrived late at the pageant which was a bit of a disadvantage because I had to try and catch up with others and I managed to do well.”

“I showcased our cultural diversity and I managed to pull it off with a Ndebele outfit from Bulawayo and I was portraying an outfit for King Lobengula. We also spoke about the projects we are doing in our countries and I spoke about the advocacy against black skin bleaching.”

In awareness, I was hoping to empower black children to realise that their black skin is gold and they must be proud of it.”