Juba, South Sudan – Growing up, Khloe Nyanda and the women and girls around her were taught “to be small and not take up spaces”, the 21-year-old says.But the model and law student at the University of Juba followed her own instincts, and role models who showed her that a different way was possible.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“Adut Akech took her identity as a refugee and turned it into a crown,” Nyanda says, referring to the internationally known South Sudanese model who spent her earliest days in a refugee camp before moving abroad with her family.The rise of South Sudanese icons like her is the tangible evidence Nyanda hoped to use to convince her family that a career in the industry was possible for their daughter.“Ninety-five percent of the models you see from South Sudan will tell you the same thing: Adut Akech is the spark,” she emphasised.Nyanda sits with practised poise at The Baobab House in Juba, a cultural hub that has become a haven for many artists and creatives in the capital city. She speaks with quiet confidence about the milestones in her career and the usually unspoken realities that shadowed them.Nyanda’s life has been defined by movement. She was born in Yirol, about 200-250 kilometres (roughly 125-155 miles) northwest of Juba, spent her childhood in Nairobi, Kenya, and later returned to Ju …
