Yodit Getahun (born 12 February 1985) is an Ethiopian beauty pageant contestant. She was crowned Miss Ethiopia World for 2003, represented Ethiopia in three International pageants, and was awarded two titles. She participated in the "Miss Tourism of the Globe" Contest in

Moscow, Russia Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

where she won a minor sponsor title called "Miss Neva 2003". She was awarded the "Miss Congeniality" title at

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 in

Manila, Philippines Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

. She was also sponsored by London-based

Ethiopian Life Foundation Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

, and participated in the

Miss International Miss International (''Miss International Beauty'' or ''The International Beauty Pageant'') is a Japan-based international beauty pageant organized by the International Culture Association. First held in 1960, it is the fourth largest pageant i ...

Beauty Pageant in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.4 ...

Early life

Yodit Getahun was born in

Dire Dawa Dire Dawa ( am, ድሬዳዋ, om, Dirree Dhawaa, 3=Place of Remedy; so, Diridhaba, meaning "where Dir hit his spear into the ground" or "The true Dir", ar, ديري داوا,) is a city in eastern Ethiopia near the Oromia and Somali R ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...

in 1985. She attended

Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa University (AAU) ( am, አዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a national university located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is the oldest university in Ethiopia. AAU has thirteen campuses. Twelve of these are situated in Addis Ababa, ...

but did not graduate.

Miss Ethiopia World and controversy

In 2003, Getahun won the Miss Ethiopia World beauty pageant, run by the London-based

. As the winner of the title, Getahun was due to be paid 30,000 ETBirr over her year as title holder, to be the spokesperson for the Ethiopian Life Foundation. She started working with Dawn of Hope, and Ethiopian association working against HIV/AIDS, on a promotional film, but did so with permission from her managers at the Ethiopian Life Foundation, in breach of her contract. The project was ultimately unfinished. The controversy escalated when Getahun refused to return to Ethiopia after representing Ethiopia at

Miss International 2003 Miss International 2003, the 43rd Miss International pageant, was held on October 8, 2003 at Radisson Miyako Hotel in Tokyo, Japan. Forty-five beauties from all over the world competed to win the coveted title held by Christina Sawaya of Lebano ...

and

Miss Earth 2003 Miss Earth 2003, the 3rd edition of the Miss Earth pageant, was held on November 9, 2003, at the University of the Philippines Theater in Quezon City, Philippines. Fifty-seven delegates from all over the globe participated in the event. The page ...

, suspending her education and remaining in the Philippines for almost 6 months after the Miss Earth pageant to try to secure movie deals. She was therefore stripped of her title mid-reign in February 2004, becoming the only Ethiopian girl ever to be stripped of a national beauty title. She was succeeded by her first runner up,

Muna Fikremariam Muna may refer to: Places *Muna (Mikulovice), a World War II POW camp and ammunition factory in the Czech Republic *Muna, Estonia, village in Rõuge Parish, Võru County, Estonia * Muna, Iran, village in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran *Muna, ...

. Getahun also never returned to Ethiopia to hand over her crown to her successor at Miss Universe Ethiopia 2004, Ferehiyewot Abebe, who went on to become the first Ethiopian girl to go to

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Str ...

in 2004. Getahun apparently returned to Ethiopia in March 2006.

References

External links

MISS ETHIOPIA WEBSITE

YODIT "CONTACTS" DAWN OF HOPE

{{DEFAULTSORT:Getahun, Yodit 1985 births Addis Ababa University alumni Miss Earth 2003 contestants Miss International 2003 delegates Living people Ethiopian beauty pageant winners People from Dire Dawa

Early life

Miss Ethiopia World and controversy

See also

References

External links