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Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeLifestyleMiss Albinism Zimbabwe, Between Rock And A Hard Place

Miss Albinism Zimbabwe, Between Rock And A Hard Place

Miss Albinism Zimbabwe, the first of its kind in Zimbabwe and the second in Africa after Kenya, was a major landmark by any standard of measurement. For people living with albinism to have a day, an event where they pride in the beauty behind their skin, was a bold statement that whatever the condition they have, they are all human beings who deserve fair and equal treatment than anyone else in society.

The purpose of the event, which according to organizers was to break the barrier and ward off discrimination against people living with albinism to some extent promoted what it was striving to eliminate.

Notable issues that raised eyebrows is why beauties living with albinism competed on their own when the idea was to have them feel part and parcel of the bigger society. Mixing contestants between people living with albinism with non-albinos would have given them a sense of belonging to the rest of the society.

Does it mean they are lacking in any way which prevents them from contesting on the same podiums as Miss Zimbabwe or Miss Tourism?

On the other hand, which leaves the beauty pageant contest trapped between a rock and a hard place is that,the idea behind it is to give people with the condition a voice or a platform  to speak without hindrances hence the theme ‘Beauty Beyond The Skin.’

Mixed reactions have been aired on social media over pictures posted of Miss Albinism Zimbabwe 2018 winner Sithembiso Mutukura who walked away with $85

Emirates
  • tonderaitonyWhy can’t she be just Miss Zimbabwe? Just wondering
  • allieyepure discrimination this is soo wrong man!!
  • anitsurassaSaka you people varikuti its discrimination, what do you have to say about the Paralympics and Dwarf World Sports Games.? Some competitions have boundaries that only accommodate people with the same characteristics so that a specific message is sent to the rest of the world. Remember this is about fighting stigma so the best way to do it is to break the norm and have a beauty contest that solely celebrates this skin tone. The winners look happy too Saka mogwadziwa nei ipapa
  • zimduchess@anitsurassaalbinism is not a disability and u can’t compare it to dwarfism .albinism is like you dark ,lm white type of thing so to group it with disabilities and dwarfism that’s ignorance
  • fabulouslymaya@zimduchess according to the world perception is it regarded as one. As there are other Problems associated with albinism such as partial blindness,excessive shaking, poor hearing and many more. The aim of the pageant is to create awareness of persons with albinism. Many are treated like the dirt underneath the shoe and lack in many regards. In certain parts of the africa they are hunted for rituals. This pageant aims to solely address these issues. This pageant is a brain child of persons with albinism, their desire was to have a platform created for them to address key issues pertaining their life and havin someone who truely Understands what is it like to be with albinism address and advocate for their rights. Before a child can walk they learn to crawl here we are crawling in time we will learn to Run. By then im sure we can send all these wonderful ladies to Miss Zimbabwe. this is a platform that creates confidence and we are simply aknowledging their beauty.Miss Zimbabwe has prerequisites such as an education but if they have not been given the opportunity to go to school and good health care how would they qualify. This is only a stepping stone to a whole new era for persons with Miss albinism.
  • vanillalipsssI know what you were trying to do …to be socially inclusive but it’s doing the exact opposite. Try to include them into Miss Zimbabwe remember albinism is only a lack/ not enough of melanin in the body. Surely think again
  • maqah_tasha@vanillalipsss miss albinism Zimbabwe is not a platform to discriminate but it is a first step of many others to come, it is to raise awareness of how us people with albinism feel, that the discrimination we face is each day has affected our confidence so with this it has boosted confidence to everyone out there living with albinism that one can be on such a platform. With time people will realize that albinism is just lack of pigment associated with its problems but it doesn’t make us less human. It is an awareness that is going to change the perspective of Zimbabwe, Africa and the world at large. It’s not meant to discriminate because for us this was a platform for us to come out from the margins of the society and share our stories and hopefully being fully accepted in the societies we live
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The debate rages on but brains behind the Miss Albinism Zimbabwe, Brenda Mudzimu says this year’s event was only but a beginning, it will be a yearly event that she hopes and wishes to take global eventually.

“This will be an annual event which will later be advanced to Miss Albinism Africa and Miss Albinism World because we want to reach all corners of the world,” said Mudzimu in an interview with AFP.

She also said the beauty pageant aims to instill confidence in girls living with albinism.

“The pageant aims to instill confidence in girls living with albinism in Zimbabwe as well as reduce the stigma,” Mudzimu said.

“People living with albinism are talented, beautiful and intelligent just like any other normal human being. My experience living with albinism was not easy.I learnt that in life living with albinism you have to persevere and survive in life.”

 

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