PEOPLE WHO WISH to watch the Miss Rwanda 2021 finale come this Saturday, March 20, will have to part with $3 (Rwf 2,979 approximately) to access the Youtube live streaming. The Miss Rwanda organisers, Rwanda Inspiration Backup, say the decision to charge viewers on Youtube, which is mainly for people outside Rwanda, is for the pageant to make some revenue due to the fact that there won’t be a public audience due to Covid-19 restrictions. The organisers explained that most international beauty pageants, including Miss World charge people to watch and it was time Miss Rwanda too started raising funds through subscriptions. “Most big beauty pageants charge people to watch the show. It is their biggest source of revenue. Miss Rwanda is 100 per cent private and it only generates revenue from sponsors and the public. There is a lot that goes into the organisation,” “As you might be aware, this year the public is not allowed to attend the grand finale, so there wont be any gate collections. This is just a source of income. Those who will pay $3 will be directly supporting Miss Rwanda,” explained Meghan Nimwiza, the head of Communication at Miss Rwanda. People in Rwanda will be able to watch live on the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) channel, KC2, which will relay the event. The Miss Rwanda 2019, Nimwiza, noted that this should be seen as something normal because elsewhere people pay to watch such events with good content. Only people outside Rwanda will be watching live on Youtube. At the moment Youtube has not added Rwanda to the list of countries where you can pay for content because they are yet to add the Rwandan Franc among the accepted currencies. “We encourage Rwandans who want to watch live to tune in to KC2 this Saturday when the winner of Miss Rwanda will be announced,” added Nimwiza. KC2 can be accessed on Canal Plus and on Star Times. Nimwiza said that $3 is not too much to ask, considering that the cheapest ticket used to be Rwf10, 000 to access the venue. The 20 contestants in the Miss Rwanda 2021 final remain in the boot camp at La Palisse Nyamata, where they are undergoing skills training as well as confidence boosting classes ahead of the Saturday finale. The finale will take place at Intare Conference Arena, Rusororo, this Saturday, March 20, beginning at 7pm. The winner will drive home a brand-new Hyundai Creta 2021 series, a scholarship, a fully funded project and a salary of Rwf800,000, along with other perks. Naomie Nishimwe is set to crown her successor in the most glamorous night of the year. Read also: How the ‘Brain’ aspect has shaped Miss Rwanda Read also: All you need to know about Miss Rwanda 2021 pageant
