Building bridges with beauty
Indian universities have been eager to project themselves as affordable destinations for higher education, especially to African students.
The Miss Africa India 2018 pageant, organised by a Zambian student, is a one-of-a-kind beauty pageant that seeks to dispel stereotypes and strengthen ties between Indians and Africans.
Laurisca Kalongo’s first brush with racism occurred a year ago in Hyderabad, where the 21-year-old Zambian student continues to pursue a bachelor’s degree in computer science. And though she magnanimously states that she didn’t take the incident to heart, the experience motivated her to conceptualise a first-of-its-kind beauty pageant, titled Miss Africa India. The recently concluded beauty pageant was held in Hyderabad and its final round saw the participation of 15 African women, all of whom are students at Indian universities.
Indian universities have been eager to project themselves as affordable destinations for higher education, especially to African students. About 100 Indian universities attended this year’s Indian Education Expo, which was held in Ghana’s capital Accra. However, several instances of racial discrimination and conflict involving African nationals, especially students, have come to light in recent years. Last year, two Nigerian students were brutally attacked in a mall in Greater Noida after a young boy died of a suspected drug overdose. Rumours of cannibalism seemed to have motivated the assault. In another incident in Greater Noida, five Nigerian students were arrested on drug peddling suspicions based on unsubstantiated reports. There was also the incident of a young Kenyan woman being pulled out of a car and assaulted by a group of men.
Highlighting the racial stereotypes and discrimination African nationals in India are confronted with, Laurisca says, “There have been complications between Indians and Africans. Africans are viewed as violent people who either peddle drugs or abuse them,” adding that the point of having the pageant was “to bring together the people belonging to the two nationalities; to show Indians that Africans too have rich, diverse cultures and aren’t only about violence and drugs.”
However, racial discrimination wasn’t the sole motivator behind Laurisca’s unique pageant. For the student, who is also a professional model, a lack of opportunities in the modelling world too provoked the birthing of this pageant. “Ever since I came to India, modelling opportunities have been few and far between. I was aware that there were other women like me, who found themselves without opportunities. And since I know so much about this industry, I had the capability to do something for these women. I could live my dream by making their dreams come true,” shares Laurisca.
The Miss Africa India pageant was a lot like regular beauty pageants, with multiple rounds designed to test the intelligence, poise and grace of the contestants. However, given the unique message it sought to convey, a few distinctive features had to be introduced. “Since the pageant was about building ties between the two nations, the theme was the beauty of love, peace and women’s empowerment. As women, we face many challenges, not just in India, but all over the world. We want young African women to feel beautiful and empowered,” says the model.
The initial round of the pageant saw the participation of about 200 African women, hailing from different regions in India. “We had African models from all over India because India is a vast country. We wanted the models to be from different areas so that they could tell their stories from wherever they came from. We saw participation from Bhubaneshwar, Pune, Baroda, Delhi, Mumbai and several other cities,” reveals the 21-year-old. Not only were the contestants staying in different regions in India, but they also hailed from different countries in Africa. “The final fifteen belonged to 13 African countries such as Tanzania, Zambia, Congo, Nigeria, Ghana and even as far as the island nation of Madagascar,” informs Laurisca.
This diversity was creatively brought under the spotlight through rounds like the National costume round, where every model was required to fashion a garment that was reminiscent of their native country. Laurisca reveals, “We asked the models to create a costume that reminded them of home. The point of the round was to highlight the different dresses worn in Africa and the hues that colour different African flags. Rather than telling people about our different cultures, we thought it would be more fun to show them.”
There was also an introduction round, where contestants spoke about their homelands and a dance event, which saw the models perform a medley of vibrant African dances. “Just like India has diverse dance forms, so does Africa. But not many people are aware of them. So, we hired a choreographer from Côte d'Ivoire to put together this dance routine,” she says.
Though organising the pageant wasn’t a walk in the park, Laurisca and her friends and co-organisers, Chygoz Obike and Timothy Umukoro, had to scrape together funds to bring this event to life. The model hopes to make Miss Africa India an annual beauty pageant. “The response to our first pageant was great. Its purpose is being understood and appreciated. Now, it’s important that we take this forward and organise the Miss Africa India pageant every year, so that future generations benefit from it, and the ties between India and Africa continue to be strengthened,” concludes the student.