MISS AFRICA: Queens vie for historic Miss Africa

SAVIOUS KWINIKA
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – TWENTY-FIVE beauty queens from 16 countries have converged in Johannesburg, South Africa ahead of the inaugural Miss Africa scheduled for the end of the month.

The historic event is scheduled for the Gold Reef City Casino on April 30.

Among the 25 beauty queens are Christelle Nizigiyimana from Burundi, Kwanda Doriane (Rwanda) and Bithia Deresse from Ethiopia, who initially were battling to raise airfares to come to South Africa.

Miss Zimbabwe Annie-Grace

The trio have received a boost after sponsors stepped in.

Pro-Act are organising the pageant.

Pro-Act Communications Chief Executive, Neo Mashishi, said he was delighted all participants selected to represent their respective countries managed to travel to South Africa despite initial challenges of securing air tickets.

Mashishi said the beauty queens would now go through the process of rehearsals, video shooting, visiting Soweto as well as appearing in different television channels before the finals.

“The historic day will see the continent’s most beautiful and most intelligent young lady being crowned the inaugural Miss Africa,” Mashishi said.

Mashishi said the pageant’s main aim was to empower young African women and expose them to the world by showcasing African diverse culture.

“The mission is to become a leading female project that grants young African women access to world limited resources and improve their leaving standard thus tell African stories from a woman’s perspective,” Mashishi said.

He said the winner would be required to advocate plight facing Africa such as poverty, malaria, HIV/Aids to the world and request global assistance.

Mashishi said the sole winner will also be integrated into Africa Month programmes and Africa Day, celebrated in May.

He mentioned that the event would have English, French and Portuguese speaking hosts, to accommodate all African diverse guests while judges and fashion designers are all drawn from the continent.

The judges’ panel consists of Wezi Muyembe Njovu (Zambia), who is also the co-Founder of Zambia’s Fashion Week, Joy Macrain (Kenya), who is the Director of Macrain Model Agency, Sam Adeyemi (Nigeria), who is Nigerian events guru, Carlos Goncalves (Angola), a model, as well as the host country’s Doris Msibi, who is South Africa’s former Miss Globe and Miss Soweto.

Fashion designers to dress the contestants are drawn from Ghana, South Africa Zambian.

According to Mashishi, Miss Africa was established and registered in February 2014.

“It took organisers of the pageant two years to put together the concept of Miss Africa. The long anticipated first ever Miss Africa pageant has finally arrived,” said Mashishi.

“Miss Africa pageant is envisaged to unite Africans. All contestants are expected to be in South Africa on the 14th April 2016 for video shooting Journey to Miss Africa behind the scene, Rehearsals, Media Appearance, preliminaries and the finale.”

Apart from the trio from Burundi, Rwanda and Ethiopia, other queens to participate in Miss Africa are Zimbabwe’s Annie-Grace Mutambu, Steffi van Wyk (Namibia), Michelo Malambo (Zambia), Rebecca Asamoah (Ghana), Mama Aissiata (Guinea), Jane Mbagwu and Joan (Nigeria), Nange Marie Chantal (Cameroon), Carisa De Jesus Guimar and Fernand (Angola), Wivine Leya (DR Congo), Thotoane and Karabelo (Lesotho), Kellen Nakaye and Sheena Kyozira (Uganda) and Veronica Bowazi (Malawi).

http://cajnewsafrica.com/2016/04/26/12821/