Face of Africa 2008

From Nigerian supermodel Oluchi, who began her meteoric rise to global fame on the Face of Africa stage to Botswana's Kaone Kario, whose striking looks made her a fashion magazine star in Africa as well as Namibia's Venantia Otto, who recently graced the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, M-Net's Face of Africa has established itself as a premier model talent initiative in Africa today.

The new season of Face of Africa, now offers an unprecedented winner prize of US$50,000 in cash and a three-year modeling contract with Oluchi's O Model Africa agency.

Commenting on the launch of the new season was M-Net's director of Original Productions, Carl Fischer, who says that Face of Africa was M-Net's first cross-continental project and remains one of it's most enduring.

“Before Idols conquered the continent, before Big Brother dominated the headlines, before Studio 53 united our audiences, before all of this, Face of Africa was the start of our investment in Africa. Since launch, it has captivated the imagination of our audiences, inspired countless entrants and turned dreams into reality for several dozen young models. Its legacy and its success is the reason it returns in 2008, and M-Net is proud to launch a new season.”

Beginning in Botswana at the end of August, the new season will take M-Net's Face of Africa team to 12 countries including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In each country, there will be one open casting session held at which any young women, between the ages of 17 and 24 from anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa, can enter.

The only documentation required from entrants is proof of identify and of citizenship of any sub-Saharan African country. Further, entrants should note that the minimum height requirement is 1.72m, the maximum hip measurement is 96cm and entrants should not have an existing modelling contract.

Meanwhile, the scouting judges for the new season of M-Net's Face of Africa have also been confirmed. Joining successful model and catwalk veteran Andiswa Manxiwa, who returns to her role from last season, is charismatic Face of Africa 2005 winner Kaone Kario.

With first-hand knowledge of the Face of Africa casting process, and with experience gained on the catwalk, in front of the camera and behind the scenes, Kaone is uniquely placed to understand, evaluate and select the next Face of Africa finalists.

At the end of the 12 casting sessions, approximately 24 finalists will be selected to participate in a Model Bootcamp, which is to be held on the beautiful island of Zanzibar. Here a selection team that includes the first-ever Face of Africa winner, the fashion savvy model turned business woman Oluchi Onweagba, will host a second round of auditions, at which the tOP 10 finalists will be selected.

The tOP 10 will then head into the glittering Face of Africa 2008 Finale on Saturday November 29, at which one winner will ultimately be chosen. The Finale will be screened to DStv audiences in over 40 countries across the continent. These audiences will also be able to watch the Face of Africa process from start to finish, with M-Net screening three preliminary episodes in the run-up to the finale, with each episode detailing the search.

For more information on M-Net's Face of Africa, log on to www.mnetafrica.com.