Miss what????

Yesterday, Tuesday 29 November,2011 I did have one of those rare chances to watch Malawi Television, never mind the MBC TV thing which is illegal, after almost two years of not watching this station. Let me declare myself here that I have been an employee of this media house for almost five years. But frankly I rarely watch this station. Why? That is topic for another day. Whilst cheering a brother in-marriage who was not feeling well, had the previllege to watch Miss Warm Heart of Africa TV show on his television set. To say the least, save for the graphics of the backdrop, I was generally not impresed with the show's production. Presentation was dull for such a showbizz show, visuals were of low quality with some seemed out of focus, people in the visuals looked squashed, credits being rolled in peoples faces and the sound man would have done a better job on Young Kay, who was a guest in he show.
That aside, my curiosity was and still is on what is beauty? Is it manifested through twisted movements, showing one's body or through choreographed pictures of supposed queens? Who has a mandate to define beauty in this country. Is it the Miss Malawi Pegeant organizers or the Miss Warm Heart of Africa beauty pegeant organizers? All that I know is that those organizing these two pegeants were once one entity organizing Miss Malawi pegenat together and separated along the way that lead to birth of Miss Warm Heart of Africa. Bone of contention was the procedure to identify the beauty queen. This difference just add weight to the notion that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. So there is no surprise that some gentlemen in suits sitted in an air-conditioned boardroom somewhere failed to define beauty hence parrallel beauty pegeants. Ministry of Tourism often uses such beauty queens to champion Malawi's tourism potential, which of the two would the ministry recognise and work with? Who would go to represent Malawi at the Miss World beauty contest as real representative of this country?
I blame all this confusion on Ministry of Tourism for behaving spectator on what it was supposed to be lead player. How did the Miss Malawi Beauty pegeant found its way out of the ministry to an extent of somebody registerng it as personnal business and yet it, the ministry, salivates at using such a beauty to attract foreign tourists? It has put itself in awkward situation in which it will have two queens, for what? It is time, government tourism officials woke up from their slumber. Reposes the rights for the beauty pegeant contests and bring order to the activity, instead of living it to money-hungry individuals who are turning Malawi into a laughing stock.

Beauty really lies in the eyes of the beholder!