Aheu Deng Kudum (born November 28, 1986) is a South Sudanese-Ethiopian fashion model and beauty pageant titleholder. She won the title of Miss Earth South Sudan 2009 at the annual

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...

, organized by South Sudan's Ministry of Tourism and Beauties of Africa Inc, the exclusive franchise holder.

Early life and background

As the eldest of four daughters, Kudum's upbringing was marked by the challenges of being raised by a single mother following the death of her father, General Deng Kudum, on May 8, 1992. General Deng achieved acclaim for his courageous leadership in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) rebel attack on the South Sudanese capital,

Juba Juba is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria, Central Equatoria State. It is the most recently declared national capital and had a populatio ...

Childhood amid civil strife

Kudum's childhood unfolded against the backdrop of civil war in

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

. Fleeing her home due to the conflict, she closely followed her father through various displacement camps, enduring the hardships of war. Despite these challenges, Kudum remained resolute in pursuing her educational aspirations.

Education

Her educational journey began in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, where she attended elementary school, later continuing her studies in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Kakuma Refugee Camp Kakuma Refugee Camp is a refugee camp located in northwestern Turkana County, Kenya. It was established in 1992 to host unaccompanied minors who had fled the war in Sudan and from camps in Ethiopia. The camp is situated in the second poorest re ...

. Undeterred by the adversities of war, Kudum completed both primary and secondary education. In pursuit of higher education, the 37-year-old journeyed to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

after completing high school in Kenya. In the United States, Aheu Deng Kudum enrolled at

Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically Black university in Houston. The university is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund an ...

, where she dedicated herself to the pursuit of knowledge. Majoring in Business Administration, she demonstrated resilience and determination in overcoming the challenges she faced, turning her adversities into stepping stones toward academic success.

Miss Earth South Sudan 2009

Aheu Deng was born in Itang (Ethiopian District), which was a South Sudan rebel camp, and won the Beauties of Miss Earth South Sudan 2009 pageant on June 10, 2009. She inherited the crown from Nok Duany, who held the 2008 Beauties of South Sudan title by virtue of the franchise holders appointment. Aheu Deng speaks five different languages including

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

and some

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

. She also speaks the indigenous South Sudan languages of

Dinka The Dinka people () are a Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan. The Dinka mostly live along the Nile, from Mangalla-Bor to Renk, in the region of Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile (two out of three provinces that were formerly part of southern ...

, which is her mother tongue, and the

Acholi dialect Acholi ( , also Leb Acoli, or Leb Lwo) is a Southern Luo dialect spoken by the Acholi people in the districts of Gulu, Kitgum, Amuru, Lamwo, Agago, Nwoya, Omoro and Pader (a region known as Acholiland) in northern Uganda. The Dhopaluo ...

, both of which are

Nilotic languages The Nilotic languages are a group of related languages spoken across a wide area between South Sudan and Tanzania by the Nilotic peoples. Etymology The word Nilotic means of or relating to the Nile river, Nile River or to the Nile region of A ...

. She had to drop out of high school and did not finish her education due to being forced to marry a stranger whilst living in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Northern

. At the age of 15, she became a survivor of the Kakuma Refugee Camp and

forced marriage Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later force ...

. She is the eldest of four girls and was raised by a single mother after her father General Deng Kudum was killed on May 8, 1992, when he led a Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) rebel attack on Juba, Sudan. General Gen Kudum was one of nine Bor Dinka brothers killed in the war of independence against North Sudan.

World's tallest beauty queen

Aheu Deng, who stands at tall, remains the tallest documented beauty queen ever to take part in any Grand Slam or beauty pageant. Her feat has been submitted to the

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

for inclusion and certification as the World's Tallest Beauty Queen. Her managers received numerous television show appearance requests for her after she won the title of Miss South Sudan in 2009. In 2010, she turned down an opportunity to do a world tour covering Asia, Europe and South America as a

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

for South Sudan, following the

Miss Earth 2009 Miss Earth 2009, the 9th edition of the Miss Earth pageant, was held on November 22, 2009 at the Boracay Ecovillage Resort and Convention Center in Boracay, Malay, Aklan, Philippines. Karla Henry of Philippines crowned her successor Larissa Ram ...

pageant. She started the Miss South Sudan Foundation in 2011 to advocate women's causes, and to speak against child marriage, of which she was a victim herself. She also is a business entrepreneur.

Miss Earth 2009

Aheu Deng represented South Sudan in the 9th edition of the

Miss Earth Miss Earth is an annual international major beauty pageant based in the Philippines that advocates for environmental awareness, conservation and social responsibility. Along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss International, it is one ...

beauty pageant, which was held at the

Boracay Ecovillage Resort and Convention Center The Boracay Convention Center (BCC), also known as Boracay Ecovillage Resort and Convention Center, is the biggest convention center in Aklan, Philippines. It is a private ecotourism venue intended for trade events, industry conventions, corpor ...

on the Island of Boracay,

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, on 1 November 2009, with its final on November 22, 2009.

References

External links

* *
Miss Earth official websiteWoman of the Earth
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deng, Aheu 1986 births Living people People from Jonglei State Miss Earth 2009 contestants South Sudanese beauty pageant winners South Sudanese female models