Heels click on cracked cobblestones as men and women with extraordinarily long limbs train, hoping it will take them away from South Sudan, one of the fashion industry's favorite scouting locations.
Many hope to follow in the footsteps of their compatriot Awar Odhiang, who went from a refugee camp in Ethiopia to closing the Chanel show at Paris Fashion Week last year.
South Sudan has been mired in conflict, poverty and corruption since its independence in 2011, but the success of its models provides a ray of positivity.
No fewer than nine of the top fifty models currently listed on Models.com are from this East African country.
“Paris, Milan, London – the fashion industry is currently dominated by South Sudanese boys and girls,” explains Doris Sukeji, founder of the Jubalicious modeling agency in the capital, Juba.
"It's mainly because of skin color. That's how most South Sudanese are recruited. They're looking for very dark-skinned models," she adds.
Among the first to pave the way was Alek Wek, spotted in London in the 1990s after her family had fled a previous war.
It was a photo of Wek on her mother's Facebook feed that inspired Yar Agou, 19, who is now signed to Jubalicious.
"Damn! I saw her and I thought to myself that one day, God willing, that's me. I want to succeed like her," she told AFP in Juba.
With her long limbs and charming attitude, Agou has the profile for the podium, but politics is hindering her dream.
She was supposed to attend Milan Fashion Week recently, but her visa was refused at the last minute. For now, she's working as a cleaner, hoping other opportunities will arise.
"Heartbroken" -
Successful models can earn tens of thousands of dollars in a season, a life-changing sum in a country where 92% of the population lives below the poverty line.
But Sukeji indicates that seven men and women have been refused visas in recent months despite having professional sponsors, in a Western context of tightening against immigrants.
"It breaks your heart," she confides.
Bichar Hoah, 24, raised by a single mother in the Kakuma refugee camp in neighboring Kenya, was recently denied a visa to Europe.
“Some people discourage us by saying we have tried and failed… but I want to represent South Sudan as a model,” he says, hoping to change the narrative about his country.
"A chance" -
But even those who succeed abroad face immense challenges in an industry known for its constant turnover.
"Customers constantly want new faces," Sukeji points out.
There are also additional challenges in a conservative country like South Sudan.
In addition to the physical requirements – tall but no more than 1.80 m for women – Sukeji also has to deal with families who see modeling as a cover for prostitution.
"I always ask them to give the boy or the girl a chance," she explains.
She offers them free training that can last up to three months, taking a commission of only 10% if they land a job.
His trainer, who trains the mannequins with the precision of a military sergeant during the AFP visit, explains that many were like "newborn babies" at the beginning.
But as the young models gathered on a rooftop in Juba to practice their walk, the hope for a future beyond poverty and the constant threat of war persisted.
"One day, South Sudan will truly change," Agou asserts.
They all hope to follow in the footsteps of Anyier Anei, who has landed international contracts and recently starred in the French film "Coutures".
“Failure is less frightening than having dreams you never try to achieve,” Anei recently told Harper’s Bazaar. “Even with fear, you have to take that risk.”
