Rebeccah Kazingatchire: Miss University Africa 2022

Rebeccah Kazingatchire was crowned Miss University Africa 2022 at the 31st World Miss University in Seoul, South Korea in December last year.

The pageant is about outstanding women with intellect, virtue and beauty.

Miss University is committed to promoting peace and love throughout the world through volunteer work and as an emissary of the peace mission operated by Korea.

Rebeccah shared a stage with over 60 contestants from all over the world.

Just like most dreamers, the 23-year-old has always aspired to be a super model and earning a living from it.

At a tender age, she was glued to the television watching different models in beauty pageants, runaways, marketing agents and many other platforms, studying how they walked and influenced the world.

After watching celebrity models from afar, she taught herself modelling skills through different tutorials on how to be an outstanding model.

She decided to take a big step in 2022 and become one.

The same year, she was selected to represent Malawi at the 31st World Miss University in Seoul.

“To be honest, I’m still overwhelmed and trying speechless. If you saw me when they mentioned my name, you could have noticed my disbelief and shock.

“But most importantly, I’m happy and proud to have represented Malawi with such an honour,” she giggled.

Each time she recalls her crowning moment, she is reminded that the journey wasn’t for herself, but also for all the young girls and boys who look up to her and see hope.

Rebeccah said may her achievement serve as a reminder to all Malawians and African girls that anything is possible.

She added that all women who contested in the pageant are enrolled in either an undergraduate or post graduate programme in different universities.

“This competition was huge for me as I shared a stage with more than 60 contestants from all over the world.

“I went as a Malawian representative, but came back as the African representative. I was awarded the Continental Queen for all African countries,” she beamed.

Rebeccah added that the win is more than just a title, but a responsibility.

“And with this responsibility, I hope to spread out my wings and be a strong foundation to hold up the earth for the peace, safety and prosperity of mankind, said Rebeccah.

The queen became the world peace volunteer corp and it is her duty to spread the message of love, peace and harmony around the world.

She is also responsible for saving the earth and all mankind and to engage in activities that promote harmony, friendship and cooperation in pursuit of the great global human society without war.

Rebeccah said she will use her crown to become a microphone for sharing her message of hope with the world and all the social issues she cares about.

“I love to believe I am the light of the world and my mission on earth is to trickle love, light and hope unto people’s lives. So even without the crown and the title, these are things I was already doing.

“I will keep raising awareness on how people can promote peace in schools, workplaces and in their homes. An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking and I would love all of us to be a part of it,” she said.

The beauty queen started modelling in 2022 with pageants being her major focus to spread her wings and expand her talents, skills and capabilities.

Rebeccah wishes Malawi had training centres for models because she had to teach herself to be outstanding with the help of YouTube and other online platforms.

“One thing that I’m grateful for in this life is a supportive community. Be it online or offline, I’m surrounded by people who believe in me so much and keep pouring love and support.

“When I announced on my social media pages about joining beauty pageants in 2022, the people around me kept sending me posters and all opportunities,” she explained.

She was tagged for the BiernCorp Africa pageant when it called for applications by people she barely knew.

When asked if one can survive solely as a model in Malawi she said no as some people in the industry want to take advantage of models.

Rebeccah observed that there are people who organise big modeling events with little or no budget for and expect ‘volunteer models.’

She also noted that models set their standards too low and are willing to trade their integrity, respect, value, time and energy for ‘a good time and exposure’.

She further said that after her experience at Miss World University, Malawi is way behind.

“But I believe if we are serious and committed enough, we can do better. We need a lot of players on board, with government being one of the majors,” she said.

“I would love Malawi to be among countries who consistently send representatives at international contests such as Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss Globe.

“Our Malawian girls deserve it. We have beautiful and intelligent women who deserve to take up such spaces, experience and life-changing moments,” said the queen.

Rebeccah has a degree in public administration from the University of Malawi.

She is not only into modelling, but event curation, public speaking, photography and business.

“I love to be creative and help other people who need a shoulder. I am also the founder of an organisation called MotoUnandi that helps build people’s self esteem.

She develops programmes to improve girls’ lives and their environment.

She said:” I have an event planning company called Events_Expo Mw. I advocate for education and self esteem because I believe it has a profound impact on an individual.”

Her advice to girls is to go for whatever their heart desires because it is the desire that gives the needed momentum and inspiration.

And to every girl in the pageant industry or aspires to be one, Rebeccah encourages them to be courageous.

She beamed:”I would love people to remember me as the light of the world. I want to be remembered as the one who brought love, Joy, peace and hope unto their lives and helped someone gain their confidence.”

During her free time, Rebecca likes to volunteer in organisations and projects in her community.

Nothing makes her happy more than being a part of something that brings joy in a person’s life.

She also loves to learn different skills she finds interesting through the internet to perfect her craft.