Group partners culture ministry on culture pageant
At the Event Mobilisation/Sponsors Support Dinner and Award Night, held recently in Abuja, the initiator of the project and musical artiste, Lizzy Itodo, said the project was born out of the passion to underscore the nation’s cultural heritage using beauty and natural endowment of the African woman as vehicles. Itodo stressed that unlike conventional beauty […]
At the Event Mobilisation/Sponsors Support Dinner and Award Night, held recently in Abuja, the initiator of the project and musical artiste, Lizzy Itodo, said the project was born out of the passion to underscore the nation’s cultural heritage using beauty and natural endowment of the African woman as vehicles.
Itodo stressed that unlike conventional beauty pageants organised around the country, Miss Culture Pageant 2011 is packaged in such a manner that it will attempt to highlight the hidden and untapped beauties of African culture, which the African woman epitomizes.
“This is entirely a peculiar kind of pageant in the sense that it was conceptualised in a way that it does not debase womanhood by celebrating nudity. We took into cognisance diverse religious and cultural differences in the country so that everybody, irrespective of religious or cultural affiliation is given a chance to participate,” she said.
She also emphasised the need to use the pageant to further promote local fabrics. Recalling her experience recently in Italy, where she was toast of her peers from dressing African, the artiste said it was her intention to join force with others in ensuring that indigenous African styles are promoted and exported outside the shores of the continent.
Her words: “I was motivated by Italians, who were surprised to see a Nigerian lady doing something unique out of African fabrics. They were tripped by my clothing, which was made out of African fabrics and design. They were surprised to learn that the designs were locally made and they wondered why Nigerian ladies should engage in prostitution and other unwholesome acts when they could build on their traditional attire and other natural endowments to earn a living.”
Earlier, the Director General, National Centre for Women Development, Fatima L. Hassan Betara, commended the organisers for the initiative. She emphasised the regular saying that culture is the bedrock of development and said that by creating a perfect identity for Nigeria, the organisers have contributed immensely towards national development.
“Their idea of a pageant is unique in the sense that it promotes totally African concepts. It is like a young tree that will eventually blossom if relevant stakeholders could lend their support.”
She added that “it will also promote Nigerian dress culture. All over the world today, the late musician, Fela Anikulapo is remembered for his promotion of African culture through music. Culture is beautiful and the only way we can promote our culture is to cherish what we have.”
She added that any work towards promoting African heritage should be appreciated by the centre as it attempts to awaken youths’ consciousness on African values. “We welcome in every field, especially among women, who are more disadvantaged in all aspects of life, any work that can raise African values, the standard of womanhood and human being in general.”
The event marked the commencement of the awareness and publicity campaign for the pageant. Meanwhile, sales of forms would take place between July and August, after which auditionings which will hold in eight centres across the country, namely, Lagos, Ondo, Bayelsa, Owerri, Abuja, Kwara, Adamawa and Katsina States. Shortlisted candidates would be accommodated and tutored on the concept of the project, which is to make a total African woman out of the beauty queen.
The contest proper comes up in Abuja later in the year.