How many South Sudanese models have you come across? If you haven’t, welcome to the world of celebrated model Aheu Deng Kudum from the Dinka community. The Dinka’s are the largest tribe in this beautiful country and Kudum loves everything about her country. She is a true ambassador of unity in her motherland through her God-given beauty. South Sudan was for years ravaged by war and while efforts to restore peace have worked, there still are reports of intertribal clashes.
For this, unity is a paramount subject for South Sudanese people and it must be achieved by every means necessary. Thus, Aheu uses modelling as an avenue to inspire and unite her people. She often says that while the world knows her for her stunning looks, she represents a bigger campaign beyond her looks.
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Who Is Aheu Deng Kudum?
Aheu Deng Kudum is a South Sudanese model and beauty queen. She was born on November 28, 1986, in Itang Rebel Camp, Ethiopia inhabited by South Sudanese militants. She is the eldest of four girls and was raised by a single mother after her father General Deng Kudum passed on on May 8, 1992. General Deng is famous for his bravery in leading Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) rebel attack on South Sudanese capital Juba.
South Sudanese Model Aheu Deng Kudum. Photo/Aheu Kudum/IG
She fled her home due to civil war and followed her father in different displacement camps. Despite the hardships she faced, Kudum remained determined to achieve her goals. Civil war in South Sudan marked Kudum’s childhood but this did not stop her from pursuing her education dream. She attended elementary school in Ethiopia and later in Kenya, Kakuma Refugee Camp where she schooled through primary school and secondary school. The 37-year-old proceeded to the United States to attend college after her high school education in Kenya. She pursued a degree in Business Administration at the Texas Southern University.
How Did Aheu Deng Become A Model?
Standing at 6 ft 5 tall, Aheu Deng Kudum always felt special and unique. Everything about using this to her advantage gave her restless nights until 2009 when she finally decided to model. Incidentally, things worked out for her and she the title of Miss Earth South Sudan this same year. Aheu Deng Kudum represented South Sudan at the Miss Earth pageant in the Philippines and finished among the top 16.
After the Miss Earth pageant, she had a change of heart about her career trajectory which was initially in the business world. She returned to the US to pursue a career in modelling. Given her passion and charisma, she has since modelled for major American brands. Some of them include:
- Ralph Lauren
- Calvin Klein
- Tommy Hilfiger
Besides, she is a popular modelling figure in the Western world after appearing in Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar magazines respectively.
Was Aheu Deng Forced Into Early Marriage?
Her life story is sad but dotted by resilience and exhibits the power of change. In an interview with Africa Dream Net she recalls a harrowing experience at 16. Marriage talks took shape much to her shock despite her mother believing in empowering her through education. Her uncles led the talks and the plan was to marry her off as soon as she was done with her primary school. The South Sudanese’s suitor was a stranger ready to give cows and goats as dowry just to have her.
“My mother had gone to church when this incident occurred. I had told them that I wanted to pursue my education and wasn’t interested in getting married as a minor. They didn’t listen but instead beat me up until I was unconscious. I was carried like a corpse to this man’s house (my supposed husband-to-be) who was still in the United States of America (USA) at the time,” she recalls.
South Sudanese Model Aheu Deng Kudum. Photo/Aheu Kudum/IG
Then, she was still in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. She escaped to a protection centre the same night she was married off but got depressed and suicidal thereafter. At one point, she tried to take away her life and ended up in hospital where her mother came to visit. Aheu Deng Kudum thought all was lost because a Dinka woman had no say in family matters which gave her wicked uncles a second chance to execute their marriage plan. However, she landed a student scholarship in the US and that was her way out of misery in Kakuma.
Does Aheu Deng Help South Sudanese People?
Her traumatic experiences as a teen and the luxury of going to school opened her eyes and she now runs a charitable foundation back in South Sudan. This gorgeous South Sudanese model is a passionate advocate for girls’ rights and actively condemns forced marriages. Kudum draws her campaign against these evils in the girl child from her personal experience as a survivor of forced marriage, a war survivor that left her to grow up in a refugee camp.
Moreover, her charitable organization, Miss South Sudan Foundation assists impoverished South Sudanese in Juba where she lives and beyond. Her ultimate goal is to become a spokesperson for the marginalized and war-affected individuals not only in Africa but also worldwide. Currently, she is excelling in this role within her home country and wherever her travels take her.
