The inaugural Miss Africa Crown Pre-selection Party that was organized at Alvik on Saturday 3rd September, was a smashing success, having been attended by a mixture of over 400 admirers, enthusiasts, fans of Pre-selection celebrities, party-lovers and curious onlookers alike. The event, which was organized by the Ritz Society, an Entertainment group aligned to the Africa Monetary Fund, was a prelude to the Miss Africa Crown Scandinavia beauty pageant that will be held on October 8-9th 2010 at Siljaline during the anticipated 2010 “Africa Night Cruise” in the Baltic Sea.
Although the event is being organized for the first time in Scandinavia, it has attracted an unprecedented interest, not just because of the Cruise itself but because of the expected convergence of 30 African cuties in Scandinavia representing various African countries. From observations at the Pre-selection, it is abundantly clear that there is enormous potential within the African Beauty/Fashion industry in Scandinavia which has not yet been tapped. Young Africa girls interested in this Industry in Scandinavia have been facing enormous difficulties in penetrating the industry because of the “rigid nature” of the Scandinavian fashion world and the tendency of major players to sideline beauties of African origin.
The main problem in Scandinavia in relation to potentials of African origin is that because of the tiny African population in Scandinavia, big players in the Fashion industry have, naturally, tended to address the tastes of the white Scandinavian population and this reality is responsible for the lack of interest in African models, Make-up artists and prospects in the fashion industry in general.
Although there is considerable activity in the African Beauty/Fashion industry in Scandinavia by way of multiple African salon parlors, fashion shops and boutiques, African make-up and other beauty out-lets, there is so far no organized or collective activity that seeks to address the interests of African girls in Scandinavia interested in the field of Fashion.
The direct consequence has been that many African girls with interest in the industry have had to see their hopes melt away because of difficult circumstances, ambitions disintegrate, aspirations frustrated and dreams shuttered. The lucky ones have had to move away from Scandinavia to pursue their dreams in more favorable environments especially in the United States and Britain where the African fashion industry is more developed, accessible and accommodating.
The Fashion industry is one of the biggest in the world and one of the most competitive. Obviously, there is no key player in the industry who will invest in, say, African modeling in Scandinavia because, like any serious business venture, the industry is driven by profit and African modeling is not the in-thing at the moment. Since African modeling is not part of the mainstream in Scandinavia, interest in African models has also been low.
In order to address the dilemma facing young African prospects who have had to live with zero opportunities, and in order to fill the current vacuum in the industry, an independent African based, African controlled and African oriented alternative in the field has to be created. It is in this context that the Miss Africa Crown Beauty Pageant needs to be viewed.
Simply put, the contest itself will not automatically transform into an industry. What it can do is to show that there is a huge potential from where a base could be created to address the anomaly. The contest should not end when the winner takes it all and flies to Paris on holiday. There is need for a long-term effort to organize the girls who have so far shown interest in order to help them pursue their dreams. In this endeavor, a group like Ritz Society could play a pivotal role in helping expose the girls even if it means extending such exposures outside Scandinavia depending on circumstances.
The girls who have come up bravely to support the show need to be congratulated because without their participation, there could have been no Miss Africa Scandinavia Pre-Selection Party at Alvik last Saturday. In the same token, without their participation, there will be no Miss Africa Crown contest at the Siljaline on 8-9th October. In fact, it is very encouraging that in pursuing their dreams, they quickly recognized the potential in the Ritz initiative and supported it by submitting their applications, allowing their pictures to be published and participating in the event with a lot of interest.
Another group that deserves congratulations is the huge crowd of over 400 people who came to support them by paying to see them on stage. The crowd provided a perfect opportunity for the girls to face a crowd (many of them for the first time) to show off their beauty. The African orientation of the event came out clearly when the girls later popped up on stage to dance to the tunes that were being blared on the huge loud speakers by Sound of Blackness, the biggest African Entertainment group in Scandinavia.
Most importantly, the Ritz Society, which came up with the idea, also needs the ultimate kudos because without mooting the idea and pumping in hours of planning and coordination, the event could not have happened. What emerges is a series of Networking with key players being Ritz, the girls and the crowd which came to support the event.
After the big success, it can only be hoped that the historic celebration will be at the boat. The organizers had deliberately held back certain features of the event in order not to give away everything that could compromise the big battle of the beauties at the boat.
For example, no winners were announced at the Pre-selection because such an announcement could have been counter-productive to the main objective of the contest – to expose the girls and to give them an opportunity to experience life on stage. Now, this experience will be extended to the boat but this time around, there will have to be a winner.
Secondly, there was no intensive interrogation of the girls on stage. The truth is that there are certain questions with similar answers regardless of whether they are asked at the Pre-selection or at the boat. At the boat, the girls ought to be taken through the paces because beauty is not just about looks. It is also about bringing out the personality of the contestants, testing intelligence, general knowledge and humour. Sparing the main grilling for the boat was a good idea because the curiosity about who the constants actually are remains.
Another strategy which was good was the idea that the contestants ought not to appear dressed in the line of clothes chosen for the competition. In fact, the Party last Saturday was more of a display of what to expect at the boat than a rehearsal of the contest itself. The boat environment will obviously be better than that of Alvik and what can be anticipated is that the girls have learnt some lessons from Alvik which they will utilize to improve their techniques at the boat.
It is interesting that despite the hold-backs, the event was not only successful but also very spectacular. Tickets for the boat might run out sooner than expected because what the Pre-selection Party has done is that it has created more interest in the event and sharpened appetites for more of the ladies. Ritz Society has itself shown that it is capable of pulling an event of this magnitude although the main test is yet to come.
The event has also shown that there is a growing collection of African beauties in Scandinavia and with organized activity, their presence might be difficult to ignore on a long term. Members of the African community and friends of Africa need to support such events especially in such a popular field where nothing has been going on especially on the African scene. After the big success, let the battle of the beauties move to the boat and (as they say) may the best candidate win.
Okoth Osewe
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This is an excellent idea, and these ladies are all very beautiful.