Masumba’s riveting journey in the modelling industry

From there, her dream of being a model was initiated. After a few years, she would do the same walk around her friends, and everyone started calling her Miriam Odemba, a famous Tanzanian model.

She says, "Growing up, I looked up to Nancy Sumari, who won the Miss World Africa title."

With her beautiful black skin and slender figure, she was sure of being the epitome of what a model is supposed to be.

Masumba went to Loreto Girls Secondary School, and there she utilized her talent in fashion to design clothes and model in an interschool talent competition.

It nurtured her passion, and she would see her dream come true. She would later attend the exceptional Tabora Girls Secondary School for her A-level studies, and this bright young girl would qualify for Mzumbe University.

She still had the dream of becoming a model, and she reached out to a prominent modelling agency, Blackfox Models, which accepted her request.

But her brother was hesitant about the line of work as a model, for it had a bad reputation or, rather misunderstood as a promiscuous industry.

Still, she carried on, but soon after, the law studies she was undertaking at Mzumbe would weigh heavy on her, and she had to fully concentrate.

At that moment, slowly, the modelling dream faded.

And Masumba had to present herself as an upcoming lawyer in public and on social media in a way that could potentially taint her character, which included walking the catwalk in scanty short dresses or posting what would be termed inappropriate pictures on social media.

After three gruesome years, Masumba earned her law degree.

She didn’t go to a law school that would certify her as a lawyer; in a coincidence, she met her friend Brenda Mato, who came up with the idea to start a modelling agency.

"She knew I had a passion for modelling, and she told me to revive the little girl in me who always loved the fashion industry, and this is my chance to do that," Masumba recalls.

In January 2023, at the age of 25, she opted to partner with her two friends and start a modelling agency.

The MATO modelling agency was founded by Brenda Mato, Rahma Magimba, and her as co-founders.

Masumba’s first passion never really left her; she was still burning with desire to pursue her love for modelling, but this time around as a partner at the modelling agency and guide the younger generation with similar dreams, coach the young people from Tanzania all the way to South Sudan how to do the catwalk, and even provide models to serve as ushers in events and promote brands.

Her law degree comes in handy when drafting contracts for her new company, but she still has her sights set on getting into the highly sought-after law school that requires strict attention to have a fair chance to pass the studies at the institution.

The fashion industry is still in its infancy in Tanzania, where there are no beauty industry colleges, so most of the knowledge is acquired through online studies, which has proved a substantial help as they navigate the young company.

Ironically, in the year 2023, negative perceptions of the modelling and fashion industries will still persist in Tanzania’s society.

"Every time I tell a person I studied law, but am in the modelling agency, they think I am not serious about my life," she painfully laments.

The perception that modelling or the fashion industry is for people who seek fame and is not a respectable profession is still prevalent, mostly among people of our generation who happen to be parents to the current youth who have the dreams of making a living out of this industry.

These are some of the challenges bongo flava faced until when parents started to realise how young people became wealthy and driving expensive cars, all from the talents of their vocal cords and just jumping up and down the stage.

The fashion industry, with its current image, is subsequently facing a lack of investors who shun the business and are not convinced to pour their money into it.

With the bulging fashion events and more young people deciding to join that line of work, it's clear that innovative industry is creating much-needed employment among the youth, who are mostly prone to unemployment, which demands years of experience.

"Another problem is that people don’t trust the young generation; this is the time we give the opportunity to the young generation," Masumba insists.

"This young generation is of today, not even the future; our future is now," she adds.

Masumba urges that age should now be an indicator of one’s performance.

"I am not saying old people shouldn’t get jobs; I am saying employment should accommodate all, she says. It's the norm for employers to demand experience from job seekers, which could also mean the company saves money on training the new recruit. It's this kind of hindrance in seeking employment that led Masumba to start the Mato modelling agency, which, since its inception, has had over 35 models and two videographers," she explains.

She adds that the industry itself is changing. No longer is modelling about being skinny, pretty, and tall; now models come in all body sizes, races, and heights.

"These days there are commercials that don’t require skinny, tall, or sexy models; we also have hand models that don’t even require your face in the commercial," adds Musomba.

She referred to the faceless Jay-Z commercial that just utilized his voice and someone else's body.

Masumba is still planning how she can balance the new company with law school.