Miss Christian pageantry here to stay

Malawi: After successfully hosting this year's contest, the organisers of the Miss Christian International Pageant announced that the event will be held annually, with more sponsors and countries participating, writes Twimepoki Mangani, MANA.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA), Anyiaka Florence from Ghana, Chief Executive Officer of Miss Christian, said the three-year-old emerging pageantry allows winners to represent the Kingdom of God and contribute to nation-building.

“Miss Christian Africa is a start-up brand and this was the first time we did physical pageantry with nine participating countries. It was not easy to get contestants or sponsors since it was thought to be a scam or trafficking,” Florence said.

She went on to say that the current winner, Malawian Kythrina Phiri, is a missionary queen who will seek to impact the world at large.

“We will pay the queen 1000 US dollars (approx one million Kwacha) in a space of her one-year reign to aid her in one way or another,” said Florence.

Miss Christian, Kythrina Phiri, said in a separate interview that the platform will allow her to continue her passion project of assisting those in need.

“My strategy is interdenominational, I will demonstrate the role of the Word of God in dealing with mental health and other challenges among the youth,” she said.

Phiri expressed her joy at representing the entire continent, emphasising the pageantry's uniqueness in that it promotes the God figure in womanhood rather than branding alone.

“As long as I’m Miss Christian Africa, I will reflect God’s love and ensure that my crown has an impact,” Phiri said.

Meanwhile, Chris Kaunda, President of the Models Association of Malawi, has stated that Kythrina Phiri's achievement demonstrates growth in the fashion and modelling industry because she now represents the country on a continental level.

Kaunda previously stated that models would only compete in African competitions if the results were positive.

He has since praised Virgo Agency, which is owned by Madalo Mkuwu, who is also the National Director for Miss Culture, for the outstanding role it played in assisting Kythrina Phiri during her Miss Christian International journey.

The pageant's final three models attended the coronation on June 25, 2022 in the Cameroonian city of Buea.

This came after models from Cameroon, Kenya, eSwatini, Ghana, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe were initially trimmed.

The Miss Christian Africa Organization will work closely with the Missionary Queen of the non-bikini pageant to encourage women, men, and youth to be active in their homes and communities.