Talented Leburu to represent Botswana
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday November 8, 2019 14:02
Prince and Princess International is an international children’s and teens’ festival that was established in 2000 in Thailand with the aim of promoting talent and culture among children across the globe.
The festival is open to all girls and boys between four to 19 years old and will be held in Thailand from November 12 to 18, 2019 where children from Botswana will compete with others from other countries from across the world.
In an interview with Little Prince and Princess Botswana pageant director Kefentse Gokganwang, she said the contestants will compete and be judged on talent, culture, modelling and interview from day one of arrival until the last day, which will be the crowning day.
Leburu who is nine years old schools at Al Nur International School doing standard four. Gokganwang said she would be competing in the eight to 12 years age category.
“I feel proud to be representing my country at an international level since it will be my very first time to compete at an international platform.
This is the second pageantry I have ever joined. The first was Miss Little Diamond Botswana where I took second place. I am the current first Princess for Miss Little Diamond Botswana 2019 that was a national pageant. Qualifying for an international pageant excites me a lot because it shows that I indeed have greatness within me and if the seed of talent that is within me can be properly nurtured it can take me places,” she said proudly.
She explained that going to Thailand was a stepping-stone to greatness, which will allow her to live her dream saying she was hopeful it would open doors for her.
She said even if she do not win at the international pageant, she would not be discouraged because she knows she would make it at one point one day.
Young Leburu further explained that she was not only going with the mentality of winning and representing her country well but was also looking forward to have fun, learn new cultures as well as share her culture with other contestants from other countries. She said she believes that if she only go there with the mentality of winning, she was am going to spoil everything else because that would make her even more nervous and that alone can give her negative results and disappointment.
“I am working hard more than I have ever done with my previous pageant competition, I do more training with the national director Gokganwang who is also my personal trainer and I had to put my parents under pressure to provide all things I need to go for the international competition including finances since I do not have sponsors and my parents are the ones supporting me in everything,” she said.
However, just like other beauty pageants contestants, Leburu is also facing some challenges.
She said it was a bit challenging to work on pageant preparations as well as school work because pageant preparations are overwhelming and in most cases stressful therefore that alone affects and diverts her focus from school work and it really required her to work hard.
The other challenge she pointed out is finances, which are required for accommodation, meals, transportation and outfits. She said her parents are the ones who are covering all the expenses from their pockets therefore it was not an easy thing to do for them.