17 Jan 2024

If the history of beauty pageantry in Botswana is re-written, a chapter would be reserved to capture the evolution of the Miss Rural Areas Development Programme for unearthing the jewels in rural areas.

 So distinct and captivating would be such an account of how the pageant is not only about dazzling gowns and sparkling crowns, but an initiative that empowers rural dwellers to break the glass ceiling.

Previously, beauty pageants seemed to prioritise certain racial groups and body shapes, but with evolving beauty standards, the Miss RADP had defied such status quo and stereotypes, and endowed young rural area dwellers with self-confidence.

 As an empowerment  initiative targeting the youth from remote area communities, the pageant seeks  to promote talent  identification, inclusiveness  as well as  avail opportunities  for the  contestants to  showcase their talents  and  become  change agents or  brand  ambassadors  of the  RADP while they also play advocacy  role  in the  implementation of the  affirmative  action framework.

From its inception, a decade ago, as an initiative of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development aimed at promoting gender empowerment under the auspices of the affirmative action framework for Remote Area Dwellers, Miss RADP has shifted the point of pageants from exterior credentials to talent and intellect.

“The RADP  pageant remains a critical component  of  the  Remote  Areas  Development  Programme  (RADP) and the affirmative action  framework for the remote area and seeks to  promote equal opportunities for remote  area  communities to address the  existing imbalances that have been created by the geographic conditions,” Minister of Local Development and Rural Development, Kgotla  Autlwetse  said in an interview.

Additionally, deputy  director (Community  Development), Delic Sehunwe  affirmed that the pageant  started in 2013 as the  Ministry’s  initiative  aimed at promoting gender empowerment under the auspices of the affirmative action framework for Remote Area Dwellers. 

“The initiative was aimed at facilitating talent development amongst the youth, promoting inclusiveness of young women into mainstream society as well as building self-esteem through participation in national events,” she explained.  

Sehunwe stated that the pageant grew in leaps and bounds over the years and fused in the men fashion show in 2018 to also cater for the empowerment of the boy child in rural areas.

She is of the view that improbable milestones had been achieved since the programme’s inception as training given to participants during the event is not only about modelling or fashion, but also related to knowledge, confidence, boldness and participation.

Sehunwe said it was heart-warming that both contestants and the community had high expectations in the pageant as a key change agent in terms of its impact on rural community dwellers. 

“It is worth noting that our winners turn out to be agents of  change in the  communities since they are  expected to identify community  ambassadors and engage in community-building  projects with some of them being engaged in individual projects as well  as  community empowering projects,” she said.

Furthermore, she said the expectation is for the reigning king and queen to be ambassadors of the Remote Area Development Programme by way of participating in community projects, outreach programmes, representing RADP at national and international levels and addressing social ills that affect their communities.

For Miss RADP 2022, Mercy Khutsafalo, her reign has been a life changer as it opened many windows of opportunities. 

 She said Miss RADP had changed the landscape of pageantry and had evolved with the times as beauty has. 

“A couple of years back, winning a pageant was based on your outer presentation, your ability to style hair or makeup skills, to present yourself as a ‘stereotypical’ beauty,” she said. 

“Now we recognise beauty as the energy inside that informs the outer appearance, which requires a lot more skills than a makeup brush or hairspray. The stereotypes have been shattered and Miss RADP pageantry has been a game-changer on how the society views rural area dwellers.”

The 20-year-old Somelo native stated that the pageant paved way for young people in settlements through the provision of both interpersonal and entrepreneurship skills, both for self and community empowerment.

She approved of the life skill coaching rolled out during the Miss RADP boot camp, adding that it comes as no surprise that some of beauty queens vying for Miss Botswana crown this year are a products of Miss RADP pageant.

Khutsafalo is  adamant that both the  pageant  and the fashion  show would continue to leave a  lasting  mark in the lives  of  many  in rural areas and change the stereotypes associated with rural dwellers.  ENDS