Miss Teen Earth makes debut in Botswana

  • Final showdown slated for April 27
  • Promoters promises an epic pageant

TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO

Botswana will, for the first time this year, host the prestigious Miss Teen Earth pageant where teenagers are expected to compete for a space to represent Botswana in India.

The Miss Teen Earth pageant was established in 2012 by the President of the Miss Teen Ecuador Organization, Rodrigo Moreira, a 35-year-old producer, the organisation has been involved in the fashion industry and beauty pageants as a competitor, instructor and organizer over the last 15 years.

The pageant is expected to draw 30 contestants from as a far as Mahalapye, Palapye, Francistown and many other areas across the country. The final showdown for the pageant is billed for Westwood International School (Mantlwaneng) on April 27.

Pageant coordinator, Michelle Ashley told timeout that in most cases local beauty pageants are all about showcasing one’s beauty and astonishing outfit, adding that, “That’s not the case with Miss Teen International Botswana.”

“There are a lot of beauty pageants in Botswana but not every pageant lives up to what they advertise. Our aim is to give as many girls in Botswana an opportunity to be part of a pageant which gives them some sort of education,” she says.

“That is why we partnered with Diamond Pageantry Academy (owned by Miss Botswana 2017 winner Nicole Gaelebale) throughout the competition so we can be able to teach our contestants basic life principles, pageantry world, and everything one needs as a beauty queen. These services are usually given to queens but we are giving them to all contestants so that each girl can be able to grow.”

Ashley says it is their mandate as organizers of Miss Teen to build the girl child from a young age and also allow them to grow knowing that beauty pageants are not all about being beautiful but rather about education and empowerment.

“That is why we introduced community projects to them and each one of them had to come up with a project that represents their community,” she said. “ They all did good, but the most interesting project was a campaign named ‘Kick Out Okapi Knife’ which is aimed at curbing knife crime in Botswana.”

Ashley further promised that the winner of Miss Teen will get their prize monies as advertised. “That is because we long acquired all monies to be used as prize monies; we do not want any prize money scandals.”