Mistakes Africans make while organizing beauty Pageants in Germany

Entertainment

I have observed various beauty pageants going on in Hamburg and all I can do is just shake my head. It´s either they are not professional or they flop. Some of these pageants don’t  have anything meaninful.

 I took part in a beauty pageant last year and before contesting my friends warned me not to take part in it because they know how “Africans” behave. It was not entirely a negative experience because I got to meet new wonderful people.

I asked myself and different people why there are so many Miss Africa pageants going on in one city and I got different answers. First answer was and I quote “Africans don´t like to cooperate with one another because everyone wants to be the boss” Second answer was “Most organizers just want to make profit out of the show and out of the girls”. I got many more answers but let´s just leave it at that. I will advice Africans here to cooperate and make one big show. Also what is the Aftermath of this Event for the girls? Most organizers just focus on the show aspect, they don´t plan for the girls, there are no projects in their names.

They don´t even gain popularity. The German media does not even know any of the winners except the present miss Africa Bremen. I want the organizers to know that it´s not just about making a show, it’s also about giving something back to the Society.

Before organizing a pageant you have to ask yourself the following questions

Who - Who will be competing in your beauty pageant? Young women? Grandmothers? Fathers? A beauty pageant can include any group of people. Narrow it down, so you can create the rules and regulations for applicants.

When - What date will your beauty pageant be held on? Check local
calendarsbefore deciding on a date as you do not want to compete with another similar local event or schedule it on a holiday.

Where - Where will your beauty pageant be held? Start with city and, in the next steps, we'll talk about venue.

Why - What is the reason for holding a beauty pageant? Is it a fundraiser? Is it to promote self-confidence in young women but not a potential money maker? Is it to publicize an organization? Is it so you can choose the right person to receive a scholarship? Are you trying to find modeling agency candidates? You must have a reason for staging a beauty pageant, or it's just another event no-one will come to.

What is going to happen to the girls once the show is over - Do we have projects which the winner is going to be coordinating, and how are we going to make her popular not only in the African community but also in the German media?

If you keep this in mind, you can now move on to organizing your Miss “whatever”.

Written by Kolawole Ajibola