Miss Rwanda: A beauty pageant weaved into Rwanda’s culture and traditions
Do you ever wonder where the word Nyampinga came from? In Rwanda’s cultural context, Nyampinga was a girl who emerged on top of others on every hill (read community) in a selection to pick the best girl fit to be a bride to the king.
‘Impinga’ in Kinyarwanda means a ‘hill’ -hills signified organised communities, same way you would say a district or province in today’s context.
It was a coveted title to whoever became ‘Nyampinga’ in their respective communities and the title almost carried the weight of the title of a Queen. It was a respected title that came with respect and high status in society.
“The girl who carried the title of Nyampinga meant that the girl who won the coveted title had all the attributes, beating all the other girls on the hill, in terms of character, culture, beauty and intelligence,”
“Basically, Miss Rwanda’s values are pegged on the Nyampinga philosophy but this time we are not looking for a bride for the king but rather a girl who can be a role model to young girls and inspire them to achieve greater heights,” says Meghan Nimwiza, the Head of Communications at Miss Rwanda.
“Nyampinga is like a foundation on which Miss Rwanda is built, which brings the aspect of culture into Miss Rwanda. This means that though Miss Rwanda is organised based on international standards, it is founded on philosophy of Nyampinga, fusing modern and traditional practices pegged on culture,” she adds.
So, to speak, Nyampinga gave birth to Miss Rwanda and continues to be the cradle on which the modern Miss Rwanda is built.
A historical overview
Miss Rwanda was first organised in 1993, with Dalila Uwera, emerging the winner before the beauty contest went into a hiatus until 2009 when it returned, with the government as the lead organiser, with private sector partners.
Grace Bahati was the first Miss Rwanda post-1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, winning the coveted crown in 2009, a crown she kept until 2012, when the new Miss Rwanda, Aurore Mutesi Kayibanda, was selected.
In 2014, Miss Rwanda went fully private, with a private company, Rwanda Inspiration Company, owned by experienced pageant organiser, Dieudonne Ishimwe, given the rights to organise the contest.
“Our mission was to make Miss Rwanda a much-awaited national event on the calendar and give it an international standard. I think we have been able to achieve that over the years,” says Ishimwe, who continued to organise the contest, which in recent years has become bigger and better.
Ishimwe, without any doubt, says that today Miss Rwanda has grown by leaps and bounds and has gained international appeal, where delegations come from all over the world to follow Miss Rwanda developments, while at the same time it has been able to send representatives to the global stage.
“Much as we have put Miss Rwanda at the international stage, we have made sure that it does not lose its ‘Rwandaness’, maintaining the cultural aspects but also ensuring that the three aspects of beauty, brain and culture,”
“When we set out to look for Miss Rwanda, we are not just looking at external beauty. We are looking at someone who has it all and represents the values of the Rwandan people and can have an impact on society,” says Ishimwe.
Growth
Miss Rwanda has evolved for the better over the years, whether it is in terms of organisation, prizes for contestants and the benefits that come with the contest. From just one girl being awarded, today winners of different categories of Miss Rwanda walk away with different prizes and offers that come with whichever title they win.
Today, Miss Rwanda is among international pageants with the best prizes for winners, awarding up to nine contestants and also focuses on empowering contestants, not just winners. Girls are coached on project development, public speaking skills and their basic rights, as a way of empowering them.
The pageant also attracts cultural tourists who come to see the organisation and simply pick interest in the pageant. The Miss Rwanda organisation has also sent winners to Miss World and other international pageants since 2016.
According to Miss Rwanda organisation, Miss Rwanda 2021, which will be dubbed ‘Miss Rwanda with Impact’ is expected to be even better with many more prizes set and many projects for winners of different categories as well as talented contestants.
