MASTER YOUR DESTINY

Luis Munana

Guts, Camera, Action

Luis Munana’s journey has taken him from his hometown of Rundu to the Big Brother Africa house and on to London, where he was the first Namibian male model to walk the runway at London Fashion Week. These experiences, as well as his work as a television presenter and producer, came about because Luis isn’t afraid to go against the grain and trust his own instincts.

MYD: Luis, before we talk about where you come from, tell us about your successes. There are really some incredible achievements in your life.

LM:​My mom taught me not to talk about myself like that, not to brag, but for the interview’s sake I guess I have to say something. I don’t want to box myself into a specific industry or just one thing that I do, but to the world I am an international model, a TV producer and an events organiser – those are some of the titles. And a financial analyst, if you’d have me go into the corporate world.

MYD: What was your childhood like?

LM: Believe it or not, I was an introvert. I was that kid who was always helping the teacher, writing down the names of the naughty kids. I was the class captain.

I come from a very Christian family. Automatically, we had to adapt and fall in line because as the preacher’s kid, you had to lead a life that set an example for others. It came quite naturally. People from church surrounded us, and at home we had a good upbringing. I mean, my parents did the best they could.

MYD: Very often though, people will rebel against having that much pressure placed on them at an early age. How did you stay true to your goals?

LM: I’ve always known that there is something bigger out there and I’ve always known that you have to take the next step. The plan was to do well in school, get good grades and go to Windhoek eventually. After Windhoek, the next step was to go to South Africa. After South Africa, it was the States or Europe. That was always the plan.

I’ve always known that I would end up somewhere international, be it in business or something else. My plan was always to go see the world, explore, meet new people, because there were so many things I saw on TV that I hadn’t seen in my life yet. So the plan was to get good grades because it would open doors to the future.

MYD: Were you always very goal-oriented?

LM:​ Yes, that’s one thing I can tell you for sure. I always wanted a career change and to see the world.

MYD : Tell us about the career change. How did you become a model?

LM: There’s this thing called ‘season’ in the South African fashion industry. It happens twice in a year when international clients go to Cape Town to shoot. There are so many clients, there are jobs and castings, there are models and there are bookers, agents, and scouts.

It was summer, I was in shorts, strolling down the streets and I was approached by a booker who wanted to sign me. I said no in the first year. I said no in the second year, then the third

year came and I was struggling to pay for my studies. I was working as a waiter to earn money for textbooks and to pay for school and, since I needed the extra income, I thought why not just do it? Also, seeing that this was the third year in a row that they’d approached me, I thought why not give it a shot? From then on, I was meeting clients, flying to Durban, flying to Joburg for jobs, and the rest is history.

I’ve always known that there is something bigger out there and I’ve always known that you have to take the next step.

MYD: What was the response from your family?

LM:​Mmm, let me not say they’ve accepted it fully, but they’re learning to cope with it. They’re learning to take it one day at a time. Obviously no African parent wants their son doing this, even more so when they have a qualification in finance. So, yes, they are learning to cope.

MYD: How do you deal with the fact that it’s difficult for them?

LM: It wasn’t easy at first because, at some point, we were not really on speaking terms. I just tell myself it’s a means to an end, it’s part of the puzzle. I tell myself to think about the bigger picture.

MYD: You’re the most followed male in Namibia on social media. How much of a responsibility does that bring?

LM: Since we are on a public platform we have to watch what we post because no matter what you say, there are people watching, people following, people listening. You drive certain perceptions by the things you post and the things you say, so if you are using that platform to tear someone down, you are automatically givinginstruction to thousands of people who are following you to do the same thing.

We need to be responsible. It’s really that simple. We need to remember that this person you are trying to tear down or whoever you are commenting on negatively is someone’s child.

You don’t know what struggles they are facing. People hide behind social media, but you don’t know what struggles they’re experiencing.

MYD: What advice would you have for anybody looking to fulfill their passion but who is not sure of what their passion is?

LM: I’d say there is one thing that we have all been given – that’s the gift of free will. Free will is your instinct, your gut. Usually, as human beings, there is a little voice inside of us, talking to us and telling us that this is wrong, this is right. But, as we grow up, there’s noise. The noise starts to come from your parents, from your teachers, from your elders, and then there is too much noise and you start to forget who you are inside.

My advice would be that you have to connect to that voice, you have to go with your gut. Your gut is never wrong, trust me. So my advice would be to listen to your gut, listen to your instinct because that’s your GPS, that’s your compass – it leads you in the right direction.

Luis’s story is part of a series celebrating Namibians in partnership with Master Your Destiny. Read more in the MYD Journal at: www.issuu. com/99fm/docs/99fm_myd_book_2018 Catch MYD Heart on 99FM, Mondays to Fridays on ‘The Pulse’ at 17H35.