Miss Culture dangles K3 million
Thirteen finalists from across Malawi are set to battle it out for the Miss Culture crown tomorrow at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre with a ticket to an international stage and K3 million at stake.
The winner will represent Malawi at the Miss Culture International in South Africa in September.
In an interview, Lush Africa chief executive officer Lorraine Kljajic said everything is set for a memorable evening.
“We are almost done with the preparations. Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture Michael Usi will be the guest of honour. We will also have special guests like Tay Grin, Wendy Harawa, Patience Namadingo, among others,” she said.
The contestants are Mavis Matola, Malumbo Mtonga, Mwasalika Mfune, Leticia Bwanausi, Roberta Kanjelo, Tawina Lifukwe, Mpenya Namoyo, Nyanjura Germano, Tamara Chirwa, Monica Mwanika, Murimu Kachitsa, Bongiwe Mtambo and Eta Chirwa.
Said Kljajic: “We will give certificates of recognition to outstanding models. Kachitsa won the Social Media Diva Award by getting the most votes. This automatically means she makes it into the top five.
“We will also have awards going to Miss Personality, Big Sister, the Face of Africa Fashion and Arts Festival and Social Community Champion for the girl showing more passion into charity course, Best Catwalk of the night and the Most Dedicated Model.”
The competition will consist of five key categories of sportswear sponsored by Lily Alfonso, office wear by PY Designs Africa and swimwear and evening gowns sponsored by Ngugi International.
She said they have lined up five judges, including media personality Angel Chima, long-time Miss Malawi organiser Carver Bhima, a representative from the main sponsor Exploits University, businessperson Veronica Curtis and Mayamiko Nkoloma of Imoysis.
“The judges will be looking at poise, confidence, intelligence, knowledge of the Malawian culture, among the criteria for coming up with a winner,” said Kljajic.
For the top two winners, an academic scholarship sponsored by Exploits University awaits them.
“Total prizes for the winner amount to K3 million. One of our main objectives is to empower the girl child in Malawi through education,” said Kljajic.
Exploits University Chancellor Desmond Bikoko said they are inspired to see more educated women in Malawi.
“We can never have too many educated women in our young democracy,” he said.
