Kiwanda speaks out on Miss Curvy pageant
Feb 07, 2019
"We are supporting it because it speaks to who we are as Ugandans. Our identities are contrary to what the other pageants sell internationally. Our women are varied in sizes. Curvy is simply a subset."
Kiwanda with tourism ambassador Anita Kayalimpa during Tulambule on Tuesday
KWANDA PAGEANT TOURISM
The State Minister for Tourism Godfrey Kiwanda has today morning, cleared the air about the Miss Curvy controversy.
During a press conference held at Tita Traveller's Resort in Moroto, he took time off the Tulambule Eastern Tour to explain to members of the media about Miss Curvy.
"We are not as a ministry organizing Miss Curvy. It's a private initiative like Miss Tourism. It's being organized by a company run by Ann Mungoma.
We are simply in partnership with them, but it shouldn't be misinterpreted as us being the organizers.
Also, there are so many misconceptions. For instance, people think that Miss Curvy is being sold as a Tourism product. But it isn't. We are supporting it because it speaks to who we are as Ugandans. Our identities are contrary to what the other pageants sell internationally. Our women are varied in sizes. Curvy is simply a subset.
Kiwanda has come under attack by women activists. They say this tourism campaign does not have the gender parity issue whereby popular male figures have not been picked, for example, Africa's best Football Goal Keeper Dennis Onyango.
Activists addressing a press conference in Kampala on Wednesday
People should understand that it has nothing to do with sex, or immorality as has been peddled by Social Media.
Because indeed, there is no difference between Miss Uganda and Miss Curvy.
While Miss Curvy concentrates on the curvy girls, who would otherwise never participate in Miss Uganda, Miss Tourism or Miss Earth because of the body size parameters, Miss Uganda and the other pageants consider international size model standards. Besides that, the pageants are the same and can achieve the same objectives," explained the Minister.
Social Media was yesterday awash with comments about the Ministry of Tourism's participation in the Miss Curvy beauty contest that was launched at Mestil Hotel Nsambya, on Tuesday morning.
During the press launch, the Minister Godfrey Kiwanda explained that Miss Curvy is a pageant that sells the Ugandan story, thus the need for government to support it's initiative.