Modelling as a weapon of change

Miss Malawi Beauty Pageant in the country literally died and was only revived by Nation Publications Limited (NPL) and Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS). HOWARD MLOZI engages spokesperson for the 2016/17 Miss Malawi Pageant, Teresa Ndanga, who is ZBS head of news and current affairs, on the prospects of the rebranded beauty pageantry. Excerpts:

HM: Why did you revive or rebrand the pageant?

TN: Miss Malawi Beauty Pageant is our national treasure and platform to celebrate and promote our cultural values. On the other hand, modelling is a serious career which is pursued by many girls in the country. Therefore, the rebranding of Miss Malawi is in line with the promotion of a career in beauty modelling.

We also recognise the fact that girls need a platform such as the Miss Malawi beauty pageantry to prove their ability to the world. Again, Miss Malawi beauty pageantry serves as a big platform for contests in the country which motivates several girls to take modelling as a serious career.

HM: What makes the current Miss Malawi beauty pageantry different?

TN: We have rebranded the beauty pageantry. That is to say, as new managers [NPL and ZBS], we have taken a new approach to the event. First and foremost, we want to empower young women to utilise the platform to change the world; hence, this time around, the Malawi queen will be more of a change agent than a beauty poster. We want young women to realise their potential and role in our society so that they should take the leading role in developing our nation and the world as a whole.

For example, the 2016/17 Miss Malawi Beauty Pageantry is themed around critical issues of overpopulation and child marriage. Therefore, we are challenging girls to come up with solutions to such problems. We want to make the Miss Malawi office more relevant by turning beauty models into agents of change.

Another approach to the beauty pageantry is that we are introducing participants to critical thinking when it comes to presenting themselves and selling their ideas.

HM: Why is it important for Miss Malawi to take part in nation building?

TN: Today, Malawi is facing a myriad of challenges ranging from child marriage to lack of youth friendly health services that are contributing to overpopulation. As a result, people are scrambling on the few resources such as land and health care system to survive. This does not need a rocket scientist to tell that at this juncture everyone, including individual models need to take up the challenge to make Malawi and the entire world a better place to be.

For your information, we want a queen who will represent the country in the area of beauty and decision-making and academic skills—someone who will support the work of government and different non-governmental organisations.

HM: How would you describe the first phase of the pageantry?

TN: Impressive! We have concluded the first round of auditions in all the three targeted regions [South, Central and North] and we will be going into regional finals starting from November. The rebranded pageantry has inspired several girls to try their luck. Worth mentioning is that there is an increased crop of girls whose stunning beauty comes with academic excellence. Those from the working class, graduates and college students have been auditioned.