Troubled Miss Africa Continent pageant bounces back to SA

25/08/2017

http://www.missnews.com.br/noticias/troubled-miss-africa-continent-pageant-bounces-back-to-sa/

720    0

News | 25 August 2017, 10:00am


Phyllis Birori and Gift Ndolwane


It never rains but pours for the seemingly haunted Miss Africa Continent beauty pageant.
The pageant, which was initially set for Rwanda following its announcement amid pomp and fanfare, will return to South Africa after a fallout between the initiators of the show and the organisers in Rwanda.


The event is scheduled for September 2 in Johannesburg.


Neo Mashishi, the Miss Africa Continent chairperson and chief executive, said: “We saw it as viable to host Miss Africa Continent during Africa month (May)."


He said the Rwanda Convention Bureau, and the local events company Rwanda Events it recommended, proposed the event be moved to September to coincide with one of their prominent annual events, Gorilla Naming.


“We agreed with their proposal to postpone the event to September 2. The recommended local events management company was not competent. There was lack of communication,” Mashishi said.


“Organising an event as huge as Miss Africa Continent requires efficient communication.”


It has emerged that the bone of contention was the rights to the event. Mashishi said Rwanda Events offered “a mere” $7500 to have the full rights of the event.


“We saw the offer as an insult and a slap in the face for a huge brand such as Miss Africa Continent. To avoid an acrimonious situation, we decided to bring the event back home (South Africa),” Mashishi said.


Officials from Rwanda Events referred all inquiries to the bureau. Sales manager Ronald Ngabo absolved the bureau from any misunderstanding that might have arisen around the hosting of the pageant in Rwanda.


“RCB’s mandate is to promote Rwanda as a premier destination. It attracts events to Rwanda and facilitate them with the right partners,” he said.


“Rwanda Events were unable to connect with the Miss Africa organiser. As RCB, we committed to offer the venue.


"The onus was between the local partners and Neo to agree on terms - we never got involved in these discussions."


Coincidentally, reigning Miss Rwanda, Iradukunda Elsa, has withdrawn from Miss Africa Continent due to “prior commitments”. Miss Rwanda 2015, Dorianne Kundwa, shunned the inaugural event.


The differences emerging from Rwanda are the latest in a series of spats besetting the pageant since the inaugural winner, Ghanaian Rebecca Asamoah, had been announced in 2016.


Various pageants with the same name have sprouted across the continent, sparking a war of words between the organisers.


Mashishi’s concept was endorsed by various governments across Africa.


Mashishi remains undeterred, and has declared that it's all systems go ahead of the second edition of the pageant. Beauty queens are scheduled to arrive in South Africa in the coming days for interviews, appearances, a hype tour, a photo-shoot and rehearsals.


Miss Africa’s stated objective, apart from promoting cohesion within the continent, was to empower young African women and afford them a platform to be recognised on a global stage.


Zambian contestant Michelo Malambo and South Africa’s Jemimah Kandimiri placed second and third, respectively, in the inaugural edition. - CAJ News


https://www.africanindy.com/news/troubled-miss-africa-continent-pageant-bounces-back-to-sa-10919249

Talvez você se interesse também por:
COMENTÁRIOS - Clique aqui para fazer o seu
Novo comentário
Nome

E-mail (não será mostrado, mas será necessário para você confirmar seu comentário)

Comentário (de 1000 caracteres)
Nota: antes de enviar, certifique-se de que seu comentário não possui ofensas, erros de ortografia ou digitação, pois estará sujeito a avaliação e, também, não poderá ser corrigido.

Seja o primeiro a comentar.

Ⓒ MissesNews.com.br  |  Desenvolvimento: