Celebrating Culture, Beauty with Miss Mavaro Africa Contest

Yinka Olatunbosun

A beauty and culture contest, Miss Mavaro Africa 2021 is set to hold on May 1, 2022 at the Mavaro House, Lekki Scheme II, Ajah, Lagos. Organised by Mavaro House, the search for the next beauty queen hinges on the need to promote African cultural values through young women. 

When the entries close by April 15, the organisers will prepare the selected contestants for some pre-pageant activities. The contest which is the first of its kind will be preceeded by a boot camp where selected contestants would undergo training and build a community that is bound by shared interest in beauty, cooking, modelling and quiz competitions. The contestants would learn more about their history and culture through a series of activities lined-up at an exclusive location in Lagos. 

“A few days ahead of the contest, there would be an interview and the contestants would get to know themselves. At the moment, we have 26 contestants and we are expecting more. All of them won’t get to the competition because we will screen them. We are going to get costumes from Lion King in Abuja for the ladies for the African beach wear,’’ said Humphrey Paulson, a co-founder of Miss Mavaro who spoke on behalf of the General Overseer, Mavaro House, Ehi Paulson.

He revealed further that the pageant will showcase the rich African cuisine and recipes that contribute to making the woman a true beauty in the African context.

“A total woman is one who appreciates family values and respects her family,’’ he added. “Being the first edition, we intend to fire up our cultural heritage. Many young girls don’t know anything about their culture or history. So, the idea of this competition is to make sure that you have a platform where you can learn about your cultural heritage. For instance, if you are from Edo, you should be able to tell us about the Benin Kingdom and civilization. The winner is not just for the books but one that will be taught entrepreneurial skills so that she will be able to impact the society,’’ he said.

The total prize money for the competition is N600,000 where the first winner gets N300,000, second place winner gets N200,000 and while the third place winner receives N100,000. 

“There will be other consolation prizes and certificates of participation. The contest is not only about beauty and culture. The intelligence of the contestants would be explored. The pageant will show the role of women in nation building and debunk the idea that they are sexual objects to be explored by the opposite sex. We intend to push the narrative that women have much more to offer intellectually and with elegance. Intelligent people have an added advantage. One must be smart and knowledgeable about her culture and that of the African nation,’’ he added.

The organisers are optimistic that the search for the next Miss Mavaro Africa will help bring out the best in every contestant.