As one way of preserving culture, Malawi among other African countries is currently participating in beauty pageant contest known as Zuri Africa that aims at embracing cultural diversity.
Zuri Africa is an inspirational concept that wishes to magnify and instil a sense of a deep African cultural pride that will be showcased to a global audience and communicate the positive aspects of African cultural norms and doctrine of Ubuntu.
Zuri Africa county director, Chimwemwe Ngugi Buleya told YFM entertainment desk that the development will contribute to safeguarding, restoring and promotion of Malawian culture.
“Different countries are currently turning away from culture as most people are attracted by modern world hence this serves as a remind of our culture and origins to people,” he said.
According to Buleya, Zuri Africa Contestants are only allowed to showcase their outfits in reference to a cultural background of their origins.
“The program fuses culture, beauty and brains as a noble idea to create the idea of a unified African cultural brand,” she explained.
With inaugural auditions already taken place in different cities, Buleya said they will announce dates for the finals next week where the crowned beauty queen will represent Malawi at the global finals which will take place in South Africa.
“The judges will choose a lady with a strong cultural beauty, inner beauty, self-confidence, ambassadorial qualities, leadership qualities, good presentation and verbal skills.”
“They will be looking at all qualities that are needed to represent Africa and Africans on a Global scale.”
One of her major key role of the winner will be to expose African socio-cultural positive dynamics and to address and promote inter-cultural understanding on a global scale.
For long, Cultural conservatives and commentators have bemoaned the lack of cultural national identity and efforts have been made by organisations and the government to preserve the heritage.
However, Zuri Africa will play vital roles in preserving the country’ culture.
The term ‘Zuri’ is a feminine name derived from Swahili and it means ‘beauty’ (the beauty of African).
Zuri Africa is an inspirational concept that wishes to magnify and instill a sense of a deep African cultural pride that will be showcased to a global audience and communicate the positive aspects of African norms and the doctrine of Ubuntu.
