NPL, ZBS commended for reviving Miss Mw

Beauty experts have encouraged leading media houses Nation Publications Limited (NPL) and Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) to continue holding the Miss Malawi Beauty Pageant for the exposure it gives to models.

The remarks come due to a successful event the two media houses held in Mzuzu last weekend to choose three Northern Region representatives at the Miss Malawi national finals slated for April 29 next year.

One of the judges, Wilkins Mijiga, said beauty pageants in the country used to court negative perception which ended up discouraging models from participating.

However, he said the exposure winners enjoy after getting the crown has seen such negative perceptions change.

“We have seen queens in beauty pageants making it big in life through such platforms. So, we appeal to parents to allow their children to participate in beauty pageants due to the exposure the event gives to contestants,” he said.

Mijiga commended people living in Mzuzu for supporting the competition by patronising it in large numbers.

One of the patrons to the event, Limbani Chinyanga, encouraged the two media houses to continue organising the national beauty contest which he said is good for entertainment as well as for boosting confidence in the girls.

“We lack such events. We encourage organisers to continue offering us a different type of entertainment,” he said.

Six models competed during the regional finals and three were picked to represent the region at the national finals.

The winners were Lilongwe Technical College journalism student Tadala Uta, Mzuzu University’s Miwasy Nyirenda and entrepreneur Vanessa Mtegha.

Other participants were Mzuzu Technical College student Esther Chiviya, University of Livingstonia graduate Yewo Gondwe and Phwezi Technical College student Sally Nyirenda.

The participants used the platform, during question time, to call upon government to strengthen policies that would help keep girls in school longer to address issues of overpopulation which is the theme for this year’s contest.

Another sticky issue the models addressed was that government should increase uptake of contraceptives by making it cheap and available, especially in rural areas where there are high illiteracy levels.

They said that could help in addressing overpopulation.

The Miss Malawi Beauty pageant last took place in 2012. n