Zindaba Hanzala was the last crowned Miss Zambia.
Christina Mwaaba is the reigning Miss World Zambia and represented the country in Miss World 2013.
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Interview with Elizabeth Mwanza, the national director of Miss Zambia.
It has been four years now since the last Miss Zambia beauty pageant was held, and many have been left wondering whether the last winner Zindaba Hanzala would continue to hold on to the title. Some even thought Elizabeth Mwanza, the pageant's director, had stopped organising it.
The Post Lifestyle caught up with Mwanza, the first-ever Miss Zambia (1992), who dispelled the concerns, saying the pageant could not be held on time due to inadequate funding. While admitting that there were times she wanted to give up, Mwanza explains that it was impossible for her to hold such a big event without proper funding. "If we don't have the funds to hold the pageant then we would rather not do it because it doesn't make sense to do something improperly. We need a good sponsor and strategy in place because the cost of putting on Miss Zambia and sending representatives to world pageants is very high," she says.
She observes that there are many pageants taking place but if they are not executed properly, they lose value. Mwanza further notes that hosting Miss Zambia was like having a sports event in that the budget was really big. "When you go to look for sponsorship, you are not looking for K5,000, and companies do have a lot of commitments so unless it is their focus for that year, it is very hard to get enough money from different corporate institutions. But we have been quite successful with good partnerships even though it doesn't always work out," she shares.
She, however, discloses that the Miss Zambia 2014, dubbed Miss Zambia Jubilee, will be held this October with Mika Group of Hotels as its title sponsor.
Mwanza hopes people would understand the purpose of Miss Zambia as not just being about glitz but about moulding the personality of the contestants. And for the first time in the pageant's history, the finale will have snippets and background on ZNBC to show where the contestants come from and their boot camp. The pageant will not be an evening event; Mwanza and her team feel many children enjoy beauty pageants but are starved of the opportunity to watch them. "We want mothers and fathers to bring their children and watch the event in the afternoon. A big guest for entertainment would be reviewed much later," she adds. Mwanza says the pageant will this year have regional competitions to allow aspiring models to participate.
Next month, Mwanza and her team will launch provincial contests, with Miss Southern Province being the first of the contests. She says the Miss Zambia pageant has a purpose underlined in the vision. Mwanza also urges winners of various pageants to seek opportunities and make their mark instead of sitting back. "For us, as long the winner continues with charity work, it is very important," she says. Mwanza cites Zindaba, who despite being married, has continued with the Kabwe prisons project, adding that previous winners who were crowned some ten years ago are still involved with their projects.
Mwanza says she is happy that most Miss Zambia queens have carried out their duties well, citing the example of Precious Mumbi who worked closely with the Road Transport and Safety Agency. "All the past Miss Zambias are married with children, except for one or two, I think. They are doing fine but tend to keep their lives private because usually their partners are not prepared to be in the limelight," Mwanza adds. She explains that the winners usually end up with two projects, one which is their passion and the other which is imposed on them. With Precious, the road project was imposed on her but she also embarked on a feeding programme in various schools. Tukuza Tembo had several charities such as the Kabwata Orphanage in Lusaka.
According to Mwanza, Zindaba had an environmental programme and chose to work on a women's recreation centre at Kabwe prisons. She further reveals that the Kabwe prisons project would continue as it is a big assignment that needed a lot of commitment. Mwanza hopes a recreation centre for women and their children can be built in the prison. "What we want is a place within the prison itself for those children to go to in the daytime, maybe watch cartoons, play, and maybe have an awesome meal. So the next Miss Zambia will need to raise that money through fundraising ventures," she says.
In addition, she says Zindaba was made tourism ambassador and travelled regularly to help sell the country to other parts of the country. The winner of the pageant will also represent Zambia at the Miss World pageant in December. Christine Mwaba, Miss Zambia 2010 second princess, represented the country at the Miss World 2013. She is headed for the Miss Africa taking place in Durban in three months' time. Mwanza expects Mwaba to do well at the pageant since she has now gained the experience and exposure.
On the issue of exploitation, Mwanza observes that many young people in Zambia want to receive things on a silver platter. "No one is going to give you things for free, you have to work for anything you need. I have given the Miss Zambia finalists a lecture to say when you work hard, people see the fruits of your labour and they buy into you because then you can make money through advertising, appearances and so forth." "You can't expect your organisers to give you money when you are not making an effort, and at the end of the day, even Miss Zambia is not about the money but the purpose," Mwanza stresses. Mwanza adds that some sponsors fail to honour their pledges yet in the end, the organiser is the one blamed.
She, therefore, appeals to sponsors to bear in mind that once they pledge, they need to come through with their commitment.
Mwanza says beauty pageants in Zambia still have a long way to go, especially where monetary issues are concerned. Zindaba, meanwhile, urges aspiring Miss Zambia contestants to pair modelling with education, saying one needs to have something to fall back on after they retire from modelling. The model, who recently got married, says she has learnt to be independent since the time she took responsibility as Miss Zambia.
She says despite facing a few challenges during her reign, her experience overall has been okay.
Source: http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=50504
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Miss Federation 1959 - Vivien Lentin became the first woman from the semi-independent federation of Rhodesia & Nyasaland in Africa to participate in Miss World. She was a Top 10 semi-finalist in Miss World 1959. Rhodesia & Nyasaland consisted of the modern independent nations of Malawi, Zambia & Zimbabwe.
Christine Munkombwe was independent Zambia's first ever representative to Miss World in 1974.