The road to 2018 Miss Malawi

The chase for the crown is still on! Four were chosen. Two didn’t make it. It was a glamourous night filled with joy and tears.

This was at Grand Palace Hotel in Mzuzu on Saturday during the Northern Region finals of the Miss Malawi beauty pageant which attracted six contestants.

The girls paraded in casual wear, traditional wear, beach wear and evening attire dressed by Judy Fashions, Tina’s Boutique and Salinda Fashions.

As they took turns on the runway, the judges made notes and rated the girls on poise, beauty and dressing.

But it was not just a search for beauty. It was also a search for brains as the event climaxed with question time.

The contestants tackled factors that contribute to rapid population growth in the country as per the competition’s theme Managing Overpopulation.

Afterwards, the judges—Eurita Chirwa, Salome Mwanza and Misheck Banda—settled for Tadala Utah (20), Tamara Gwamba (22), Rejoice Kauseni (22) and Sarah Kumwenda (23).

In an interview, Mwanza said the girls showed understanding of the theme because some of them are victims of overpopulation. She said the girls have grown up in large families where they find it difficult to have enough food and school fees.

On the other hand, Chirwa said the Northern Region finals have improved this year as compared to last year.

“If we compare with last year, we see that Mzuzu has improved on a number of aspects, including dressing and the way girls answer questions.

“We are confident that the crop we have chosen is equally capable of challenging for the crown at national level,” she said.

One of the organisers of Miss Malawi, Florence Banda, said the outing in Mzuzu was successful.

“The ladies were brilliant, beautiful, very confident on stage and they showed understanding of the theme. So, we can say the event was successful,” she said.

Kauseni, one of the finalists, expressed excitement for winning a slot to represent the region.

“I did not expect that I would make it to the finals because the competition was very stiff. So I am so excited. This gives me energy because I now know myself.

“Of course, I have other areas that I need to polish up, and I will try my best to do so. I will work hard to bring the crown to Mzuzu,” she said.

Mzuzu’s rising musician Ril B entertained fans during the event with several of his compositions.n