Neo Mashishi of original Miss Africa
By GIFT NDOLWANE in Johannesburg, South Africa and PHYLLIS BIRORI in Kigali, Rwanda
JOHANNESBURG/KIGALI – IT never rains but pours for the seemingly haunted Miss Africa Continent beauty
The pageant, which was initially set for Rwanda following its announcement amid pomp and fanfare, is returning to South Africa after a fallout between the initiators of the show and the organisers in the East African country.
The event is scheduled for September 2 in Johannesburg.
In an interview, Neo Mashishi, the Miss Africa Continent Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, lamented the rescheduling.
“We saw it being viable to host Miss Africa Continent during Africa month (May),” Mashishsi said.
He said the Rwanda Convention Bureau and the local events company (Rwanda Events) it recommended, proposed the event to be moved to September to coincide the event with one of their prominent annual event, called Gorilla Naming.
“We agreed with their proposal to postpone the event to September 2,” he further explained.
“The recommended local events management company was not competent. There was luck of communication,” Mashishi charged.
“Organising an event as huge as Miss Africa Continent requires efficient communication.”
However, it has emerged the main bone of contention was the rights to the event, with Mashishi disclosing Rwanda Events offered “a mere” US$7 500 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 acrimonious situation, we decided to bring the event back home,” Mashishi said.
Contacted for comment, officials from Rwanda Events referred all inquiries to RCB.
Ronald Ngabo, the RCB Sales Manager, absolved the company 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 explained.
“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, of which we never got involved in these discussions,” he said.
Coincidentally, Iradukunda Elsa, the reigning Miss Rwanda has pulled out of Miss Africa Continent due to “prior commitments.”
Miss Rwanda 2015, Dorianne Kundwa, also shunned the inaugural event.
The differences emerging from Rwanda, it is the latest in a series of ugly spats besetting the beauty pageant since the inaugural winner, Ghanaian Rebecca Asamoah, was announced in 2016.
Various pageants bearing the same name have sprouted across the continent sparking a war of words between the organisers.
Mashishi’s concept is endorsed by various governments across the continent.
Mashishi is meanwhile undeterred, declaring its all systems go ahead of the second edition of the pageant scheduled for Rivonia.
Beauty queens were scheduled to arrive in South Africa in the coming days for, interviews, appearances, a hype tour, photo-shoot and rehearsals.
Miss Africa’s objective, apart from promoting cohesion within the continent, is to empower young African women and afford them a platform to be recognized on a global stage.
Zambian contestant, Michelo Malambo, and South Africa’s Jemimah Kandimiri, placed second and third respectively in the inaugural edition.
– Guardian
