Government Position on Beauty Contests in Malawi

Beauty Contests are not a new phenomenon in Malawi . Up until 1983, beauty contests were organised throughout the country at the following levels: Area, District, Regional and National before they were abruptly stopped without explanation. The purpose of the contests were considered to be social and cultural. As cultural events, they were viewed as training ground for proper dress, a medium for the inculcation of good manners amongst women and a ground for women's personal development. Speculations for the abrupt stoppage were that there were many vices that had gone along with it which included:

• forcing contestants against their own conscience and reluctance of their parents.
• Participants were labelled whores as they became prone to ill fated gentlemen who made them lose meaning and humanity in life. Violation of human dignity.
• Lack of truth and justice in the conduct of the contests
• Political manipulation
• Moral abuse of the whole process

As one can see, the vices came in the operational process than by design.

When the multiparty democracy was ushered in and the country opened up to the outside world, the issue of beauty contests resurfaced in that now private institutions and businessmen wanted to be involved both at national and international level. The Ministry responsible was thus flooded with requests to organise beauty contests by private films and individuals.

By 1996, the treatment of events like beauty contests was that they had been liberalised. As such, businessmen, or individuals who were capable of organizing such events were at liberty to do so. However, this would be tolerated only to the extent that they are genuine and not calculated at exploiting fellow human beings and that they are conducted within the framework of Malawi 's accepted moral and cultural values.

Since then, beauty contests under the promotion of various themes have been organised in the country with little government involvement. At least ministers have been invited as guest of honour at the Miss Malawi Beauty Pageant.

With this kind of liberalisation, everyone involved in beauty contests is doing it their own way. There are no guidelines or regulations to govern the conduct of beauty contests. Already, there have been complaints and questions from different sectors of the society with the type of dressing displayed during such contests and also alleged exploitation of the participants when it comes to paying their dues. In some quarters, the capacity and trustworthiness of the organizers has also been put to question.

In all this, government would like to put clear its standpoint with regard to beauty contests in Malawi . Firstly, we have considered what beauty contests offer to the society with regard to the present environment.

(a) Socially:

• For the girl participant, the event promotes self esteem and confidence which is crucial for their personal development
• It provides opportunity for people of different backgrounds to come together and interact thereby fostering a sense of national pride and unity
• It encourages creativity
• Provides leisure and entertainment

b) Culturally:

Excerpts from the speeches presented during the Malawi beauty contests in the past clearly emphasises the importance that beauty contests play in respect of culture. “The main aim of holding Beauty Contest is to encourage Malawi girls to appreciate and enhance the state of their natural beauty which is cherished everywhere. “There is need to respect and preserve our customs and traditions in an era of rapid changes. We must be proud of our cultural heritage because there is so much good in it”….. “it is one way to encourage them to appreciate feminine beauty as measured by the nations' cultural standards. Beauty according to our customs and traditions, without grace, modesty, charm and good manners is no beauty at all. The contestants go through a conversational interview just to ensure that they measure up to the nation's image of a lady.” The difference of Miss Malawi Beauty Contests with the others organised in other countries is that while other parts of the world, the contestants parade before the crowd in bikinis, which is half nude, the Malawi beauty contestants attire themselves in well cut midis compatible with our respectable traditions as far as dress form is concerned.

In 1977, the beauty contest was organised alongside a Traditional fashion show to enhance our cultural image.

The traditional mode of dress carries with it elegance and grace that promotes our cultural identity.

c) economically:

The Miss Malawi Beauty Queen has all along been regarded in high esteem and Malawi 's tourism ambassador. We know that there is a great drive to woo tourists to Malawi to boost our economy.

For beauty contests to take place, there are many other complementary services required such as dress design and manufacturing, cosmetics and make ups, entertainment services, beverages, transport etc. There is so much economic activity in these circles hinging upon the beauty contest.

All the above factors combined, one can not overemphasise the importance of such events in Malawi .

THE TREND

As said earlier on, the liberalization of the event has brought onto the scene. Some people who are unscrupulous bent on exploiting girls. There are so many Miss/Mr this and that. The image of such contests has thus been greatly compromised as some of them lack objectives and therefore no clear direction. Most of the contestants have been engaged without contractual agreement i.e. without knowing their obligations and what they should expect. In general, there are no clear guidelines to regulate beauty contests.

It is in view of the above that government would like to state its position clear. The following therefore should be taken into account and adhired to whenever people or organizations would like to organise beauty contests:

1. clear objectives of the contests to be put in place
2. rules and regulations to govern the contest to be clear and in accordance with acceptable Malawi cultural values
3. structure of the contest to be clearly stated
4. contracts to be signed between the contestants and the organizers – clearly outlining the obligations and expectations each one has to meet.
5. The contracts must be legally binding
6. Organizations conducting beauty contests must be dully registered so that they meet the minimum requirements for conducting beauty contests.
7. While accepting cultural dynamism, stress should be placed on observance of high moral standards during and after the event to avoid grossly trivialising the events due to low morality and also being mindful of the roles of the office of Miss Malawi or indeed any other Miss/Mr.
8. Organizations involved in these events should have the capacity to train contestants with regard to the roles in the society but also the necessary finances to organise such events.
9. There should be a screening process of the contestants to make sure the profession is not put into disrepute and with regard to the high and responsible office they will be holding
10. Not withstanding liberalization of the beauty contests, it must be an obligation on the part of the organizers to involve the relevant government bodies so that the guidelines are adhered to
11. Punishments or measures to be put in place for both organizers and contestants that fail to follow the guidelines/rules and regulations put in place for this purpose.

Over and above, Beauty Contests are a world phenomenon and as the world is becoming more and more a global village, Malawi can not afford to be a bystander. However, while succumbing to the global trends, Malawi has to keep her identity and not lose our cultural values. In fact, it is the observance of such that makes it a meaningful cultural event.

The guidelines thus put in place shall put the contests within the acceptable Malawian Contexts and address the vices that led to the abrupt stoppage of the contests in 1983.