MISS MALAIKA LIBERIA 2008: The Search Begins
Published: 27 June, 2008
The Ghana based Charter House in collaboration with Renaissance Incorporated, operator of Truth FM Radio and Real TV is bringing to Liberia, for the first time in the country's history, Africa's most recognized event, Miss Malaika. Many have heard about the Miss Malaika pageant, but for a good percentage of the Liberian population, this is news.
Miss Malaika Liberia which is scheduled for August 23, 2008 is expected to produce Liberia's Health and Tourism Ambassador who will travel across the country and beyond in her fight against the killer disease malaria and the promotion of tourism. Contestants in the event are referred to as Delegates.
Application of interested delegates for this year's event began on May 12 and ended on June 13. A screening process of the delegates followed on June 14 at the Wulki Farms in Careysburg, Montserrado County where 16 persons were selected on the basis of poise, appearance, intelligence, articulation and other standards set by the organizers.
The 16 delegates who have been selected from the first screening exercise will be formally presented to the public during the official launching of the Malaika Liberia Pageant at the PA's Ribhouse in Lakpazee in Sinkor. They will then move into the Malaika Mansion on July 4, at which time a reality show process would be carried out, featuring their daily activities.
While staying at the Mansion, delegates will also be going through the second phase of the screening process. Consequently, one delegate will be dropped or evicted from the mansion every other week on the basis of public votes results. At the end of this process, only ten delegates will be qualified as finalists for the big event on August 23.
Chris Wolo:“The Malaika contest is not a beauty pageant. It is different from the regular beauty pageant in three major ways.
“It is not a beauty pageant but an African pageant portraying Africa; there is no height restriction or size stipulation for contestants; it is not a one day judgment event where contestants parade themselves on the night and judges pass decision for winners. The entire process is a grading period and the public is very involved in the judgments. What's also about the Miss Malaika pageant is that the costumes used are African. Also, the organizers are fully responsible for all the contestants and so there is no need for contestants to go seeking sponsorship from anyone.
“The Miss Malaika Liberia event has several key objectives including:
To provide women of African origin with the opportunity to recognize the potential of their beauty and talent, not judged on western standards and criteria.
To celebrate and unite African and the Diaspora through beauty;
To serve as a platform for raising issues that are relevant to the creation of a healthy society and for the improvement of African woman living condition.”
Malaika is a word for Angel. The event was born out of a presentation made by Ernest Coovi Adjovi to heads of states and governments at the ACP (African Caribbean and Pacific) group summit in the Dominican Republic in 1999. The event is slowly becoming a world recognized event. Organizers of the Miss Malaika-Liberia 2008 include Miss Mai Urey, Monjay Pratt, Darius Ambrose Nmah, Muna Pelham, Georgia Holder, Nathaniel Toe, Patience Guannue, Isaac Teteh and Chris Wolo.
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