By Sam Banda Jnr and Jonas Nyasulu
Having undertaken a four-day bootcamp at Game Haven, Bvumbwe in Thyolo, 10 contestants are ready to battle it out for the Miss Heritage Malawi crown to be held tomorrow at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre.
The winner is expected to walk away with K1 million and other prizes whereas the runner up will receive K500,000 during the grand finale of the second edition of the Miss Heritage Malawi.
Miss Heritage Malawi Chief Executive Officer and National Director Maddie Yusuf said yesterday that the 10 contestants were reeling to impress during the grand finale and take over from the reigning queen Mwaiwathu Khupe.
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Khupe returned from a cultural exchange tour of Zambia on Wednesday.
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“The top three winners will go to international pageants and all women empowerment seminars outside the country. And the other two from top five we will also plan that they attend international events since they will be ambassadors,” Yusuf said.
She further said that they will also be awarding 10 women that have been on top inspiring fellow women out there.
“It was amazing to work with the contestants at the boot camp. They among others underwent cooking sessions,” Yusuf said.
The event is aimed at giving girls a platform to showcase the country’s heritage. Meanwhile, the reigning Mr and Miss Albinism Malawi, smart Vinti and Patricia Liwonde have been invited to Zimbabwe to participate at the first ever Mr and Miss Albinism Africa 2025 to be held on June 28 2025. The two are expected to leave for Zimbabwe on June 23 for the boot camp.
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They have since indicated that they are looking for close to K7 million to cover travel and other expenses.
Mr and Miss Albinism Africa has been organised by Albinism Dare to Dream Initiative, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness on albinism, fighting stigma and discrimination, fostering inclusion and participation of persons with albinism in the mainstream social and economic activities of the communities they live in.
Liwonde said that she was delighted to be one of the contestants for the pageantry, and has urged Malawians of goodwill to support them.
“It is a great honour for me and I am very excited for what is to come next as the journey unfolds. We hope to get support,” she said. Liwonde said they were currently working together with Association of People Living with Albinism in Malawi (Apam) to find sponsors.
On his part, Smart Vinti said participating in the pageantry was a great honour, adding that as a representative of Malawi, he will proudly showcase Malawi’s culture and values while challenging negative perceptions which people have on persons living with albinism.
“I am ready to inspire others and represent Malawi. I am looking forward to win the crown,” he said. A letter from the organisers says that the pageantry will present an opportunity to boost their confidence and develop networks of support with fellow colleagues in the region.
