Miss Uganda to campaign in Nigeria
Nov 08, 2002
MISS Uganda beauty queen, Rehema Nakuya, is carrying her mantle to the glamour of the Miss World beauty contest in Abuja, Nigeria.
By Geoffrey Kamali
MISS Uganda beauty queen, Rehema Nakuya, is carrying her mantle to the glamour of the Miss World beauty contest in Abuja, Nigeria.
She is also in a battle mood to help liberate condemned Nigerian woman, Amina Lawal, sentenced to death for having a baby outside marriage.
Nakuya, who is currently fasting in the Muslim Ramadhan season, left yesterday aboard the British Airways to London where she will join other contestants, her promoter, Jessica Kyeyune, said.
“I am carrying a message that in Uganda, we have freedom of worship and that the act of stoning Amina to death is not a good one,†she told reporters before her departure on Thursday.
“We feel that fighting the battle on the battle- ground is the best thing. When I arrive in Abuja, I will try to pass on my appeal against the sentence to the Nigerian government,†she added.
On Monday, the 110 participating beauty queens will be flown to Abuja for a series of rehearsals and a filming session in preparation for the grand December 7 event.
Asked by reporters what her hopes at the contest were, Nakuya, wearing a modest hairstyle, simply said, “My hopes? I have high hopes, yes.â€
Her trip is sponsored by MTN Uganda, Uganda Breweries and the Ruparelia Group of companies owned by city tycoon, Sudhir Ruparelia.
MTN spokesman Phillip Besimire offered her a gift from his company to bid her farewell at the Speke Hotel in Kampala on Thursday evening.
At least 110 countries are to participate in the contest, expected to be watched by over 2.4b people worldwide. Over 150 TV crews are expected to join NTA, the main TV rights holders.
The contest has, however, been dogged by protests against the death sentence on Amina Lawal under the Sharia law.
Groups from Spain, France, Kenya, Denmark, Belgium as well as Switzerland said they will not participate in the event in protest against the planned stoning of Lawal.
Lawal has appealed to contestants not to boycott the pageant.
But it will be the Nigerian Muslims, half of the country’s population, who will be pleasantly greeted from the fasting season with the show of beauty from all over the world.
The pageant date had to be postponed from November 30 to December 7 to avoid an eminent clash with muslims.By Geoffrey Kamali
MISS Uganda beauty queen, Rehema Nakuya, is carrying her mantle to the glamour of the Miss World beauty contest in Abuja, Nigeria.
She is also in a battle mood to help liberate condemned Nigerian woman, Amina Lawal, sentenced to death for having a baby outside marriage.
Nakuya, who is currently fasting in the Muslim Ramadhan season, left yesterday aboard the British Airways to London where she will join other contestants, her promoter, Jessica Kyeyune, said.
“I am carrying a message that in Uganda, we have freedom of worship and that the act of stoning Amina to death is not a good one,†she told reporters before her departure on Thursday.
“We feel that fighting the battle on the battle- ground is the best thing. When I arrive in Abuja, I will try to pass on my appeal against the sentence to the Nigerian government,†she added.
On Monday, the 110 participating beauty queens will be flown to Abuja for a series of rehearsals and a filming session in preparation for the grand December 7 event.
Asked by reporters what her hopes at the contest were, Nakuya, wearing a modest hairstyle, simply said, “My hopes? I have high hopes, yes.â€
Her trip is sponsored by MTN Uganda, Uganda Breweries and the Ruparelia Group of companies owned by city tycoon, Sudhir Ruparelia.
MTN spokesman Phillip Besimire offered her a gift from his company to bid her farewell at the Speke Hotel in Kampala on Thursday evening.
At least 110 countries are to participate in the contest, expected to be watched by over 2.4b people worldwide. Over 150 TV crews are expected to join NTA, the main TV rights holders.
The contest has, however, been dogged by protests against the death sentence on Amina Lawal under the Sharia law.
Groups from Spain, France, Kenya, Denmark, Belgium as well as Switzerland said they will not participate in the event in protest against the planned stoning of Lawal.
Lawal has appealed to contestants not to boycott the pageant.
But it will be the Nigerian Muslims, half of the country’s population, who will be pleasantly greeted from the fasting season with the show of beauty from all over the world.
The pageant date had to be postponed from November 30 to December 7 to avoid an eminent clash with muslims.
MISS Uganda beauty queen, Rehema Nakuya, is carrying her mantle to the glamour of the Miss World beauty contest in Abuja, Nigeria.
She is also in a battle mood to help liberate condemned Nigerian woman, Amina Lawal, sentenced to death for having a baby outside marriage.
Nakuya, who is currently fasting in the Muslim Ramadhan season, left yesterday aboard the British Airways to London where she will join other contestants, her promoter, Jessica Kyeyune, said.
“I am carrying a message that in Uganda, we have freedom of worship and that the act of stoning Amina to death is not a good one,†she told reporters before her departure on Thursday.
“We feel that fighting the battle on the battle- ground is the best thing. When I arrive in Abuja, I will try to pass on my appeal against the sentence to the Nigerian government,†she added.
On Monday, the 110 participating beauty queens will be flown to Abuja for a series of rehearsals and a filming session in preparation for the grand December 7 event.
Asked by reporters what her hopes at the contest were, Nakuya, wearing a modest hairstyle, simply said, “My hopes? I have high hopes, yes.â€
Her trip is sponsored by MTN Uganda, Uganda Breweries and the Ruparelia Group of companies owned by city tycoon, Sudhir Ruparelia.
MTN spokesman Phillip Besimire offered her a gift from his company to bid her farewell at the Speke Hotel in Kampala on Thursday evening.
At least 110 countries are to participate in the contest, expected to be watched by over 2.4b people worldwide. Over 150 TV crews are expected to join NTA, the main TV rights holders.
The contest has, however, been dogged by protests against the death sentence on Amina Lawal under the Sharia law.
Groups from Spain, France, Kenya, Denmark, Belgium as well as Switzerland said they will not participate in the event in protest against the planned stoning of Lawal.
Lawal has appealed to contestants not to boycott the pageant.
But it will be the Nigerian Muslims, half of the country’s population, who will be pleasantly greeted from the fasting season with the show of beauty from all over the world.
The pageant date had to be postponed from November 30 to December 7 to avoid an eminent clash with muslims.By Geoffrey Kamali
MISS Uganda beauty queen, Rehema Nakuya, is carrying her mantle to the glamour of the Miss World beauty contest in Abuja, Nigeria.
She is also in a battle mood to help liberate condemned Nigerian woman, Amina Lawal, sentenced to death for having a baby outside marriage.
Nakuya, who is currently fasting in the Muslim Ramadhan season, left yesterday aboard the British Airways to London where she will join other contestants, her promoter, Jessica Kyeyune, said.
“I am carrying a message that in Uganda, we have freedom of worship and that the act of stoning Amina to death is not a good one,†she told reporters before her departure on Thursday.
“We feel that fighting the battle on the battle- ground is the best thing. When I arrive in Abuja, I will try to pass on my appeal against the sentence to the Nigerian government,†she added.
On Monday, the 110 participating beauty queens will be flown to Abuja for a series of rehearsals and a filming session in preparation for the grand December 7 event.
Asked by reporters what her hopes at the contest were, Nakuya, wearing a modest hairstyle, simply said, “My hopes? I have high hopes, yes.â€
Her trip is sponsored by MTN Uganda, Uganda Breweries and the Ruparelia Group of companies owned by city tycoon, Sudhir Ruparelia.
MTN spokesman Phillip Besimire offered her a gift from his company to bid her farewell at the Speke Hotel in Kampala on Thursday evening.
At least 110 countries are to participate in the contest, expected to be watched by over 2.4b people worldwide. Over 150 TV crews are expected to join NTA, the main TV rights holders.
The contest has, however, been dogged by protests against the death sentence on Amina Lawal under the Sharia law.
Groups from Spain, France, Kenya, Denmark, Belgium as well as Switzerland said they will not participate in the event in protest against the planned stoning of Lawal.
Lawal has appealed to contestants not to boycott the pageant.
But it will be the Nigerian Muslims, half of the country’s population, who will be pleasantly greeted from the fasting season with the show of beauty from all over the world.
The pageant date had to be postponed from November 30 to December 7 to avoid an eminent clash with muslims.