As beauty pageants take off LILLIAN NAKAYIMA finds out what they are all about Gone are the days when beauty pageants were illegal in Rwanda. There was a time when if anyone talked of a beauty show or modeling as a profession, very few would know what they were talking about. While our immediate neighbour Uganda took to beauty pageants and began revering beauty queens as very significant people in the society, in Rwanda there was nothing of the sort. “If a girl joined a beauty contest a few years back, the community would take her for a prostitute and she would be the talk of town until she gave up,” says Miss Butare, Sandra Uwimbabazi. But since they started two years ago, beauty contests have spread like a bush fire in Rwanda. Today, it’s not surprising that even secondary schools have started choosing beauty queens. Today beauty queen contestants are recognised and respected for what they do. “Beauty with a purpose is more than looks and height, it takes a brilliant brain that will think first incase of any disaster,” explains Daddy de Maximo, a fashion icon and the very first person to set a modeling agency in Rwanda. “My family gave me support and courage to go for the Miss Butare University contest which I won,” says Sandra. Other parents are more hesitant. “If my child contested for beauty queen, I would advise her to complete school first,” says Ann Mujawabera, a mother of three secondary school children. She says that beauty contests waste students’ time. Meanwhile, many models report that that’s not the case they can balance their studies with their work. Doing it for her country “Rwanda has realised that beauty contests sell [Rwanda] abroad,” says model Annette Mahoro. She explains that when marketing any product, the best way is through beauty queens, “for instance the face on Rwanda Tea makes it famous”. “Rwanda is to invest more time and funds in pageants since they are a way to promote culture and give chance to young beauties to serve their country,” says a representative from the sports and culture ministry. He says that “beauty with a purpose” pageants make models responsible and it’s a way of training them to be patriotic. “This doesn’t hurt,” he concludes. “African beauty queens should symbolise Africa,” says mother Ann Mulisa. She credits all the efforts the country has done to promote the industry but she suggests that beauty doesn’t mean being skinny. “We should have curved beauty queens as well,” she says. “With the beauty of Rwandan girls, soon or later exposing their beauty would be inevitable,” says Mulisa. “After all Esther of the bible as well contested and was made queen as a result of her beauty,” she adds. she made us feel the urge to introduce other beauties and therefore developing the industry,” say Sandra. lillianean@yahoo.com
