From South Sudan to the international runway | The Conversation | Focus on Africa

What do you think of when you hear South Sudan? Well, these days you might be thinking of the catwalk. The country is producing some of the world’s top international models like Anok Yai, Adut Akech and Alek Wek. Currently nine of the world’s top 50 models ranked by models.com are originally from South Sudan. Despite this, there are still challenges around visas and access to the international stages. Focus on Africa host, Nkechi Ogbonna, spoke to two rising stars in the industry, 19-year-old, Khloe Nyanda and 21-year-old Abraham Ajoung, about their careers so far. 00:00-00:30 Coming up 00:30-01:40 Meeting Abraham and Khloe 01:40-04:00 Their careers so far 04:00-07:00 Modelling inspirations and family expectations 07:00-09.00 Growing up in Juba and modelling as a way out 09:00-12:30 Why are so many models coming from South Sudan? 12:30-15:00 Objectification of South Sudanese models 15:00-17:50 The challenges with visas 17:50-20:20 Is modelling changing the perception of South S