The First Edition of Miss East Africa Beauty Contest was held on the 1st
of May 2010 in Paris, France. The event took place in “La Vedette” boat
on the River Seine just beneath the Eiffel Tower. It brought together
over 300 people from the East African Community in Paris, which is no
small feat considering they are a minority in France in comparison to
their Francophone West African counterparts.
Burundi’s Clémentine
Buyoya was crowned Miss East Africa by the Kenyan Ambassador’s wife,
Mrs Aoko Odembo who was also the Guest of Honour. The winner beamed with
pride as Burundi’s Ambassador to France, H.E. Mr Gatoto Nimubona, went
up to the red carpet to congratulate her. Kenya won the 2nd place with
Ms Wangari Kioge who charmed the audience with a radiant smile and truly
African beauty and style. She was awarded her prize by Burundi’s
Ambassador’s spouse, Mrs Eliane Nimubona, while the 3rd runner up,
Christine Quignot of Uganda received her prize from Mrs Laurette Joseph
of the Civil Aviation of France.
Associated to the event was
notably French-Carribean star, Thierry Cham, whose latest single
“Ecoute-Moi” (Listen to me) is currently being played on French radio
stations. He was among the three-member jury which included the Director
of Afro Attitude (Events & Communications Company) Marina Marville
and the Director of the Vedettes boats, Mr Frederic Aviera.
The
contest and turnout are a striking illustration of the talents of the
Kenyan Diaspora and the important role they play in show casing our
beautiful country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recognized their
input in national development and has made engagement of the Diaspora a
key pillar of its Foreign Policy.
On the sidelines, guests also
had the pleasure of seeing the collections of African stylists Martha
Mpoufu from Zimbabwe and Nanda Aurelie (aka Ndel’aur) from Cameroon.
Notable guests from the diplomatic corps included the Nigerian
Ambassador’s wife, Mrs Bristol. There were also expatriates from
international organizations such as UNEP. Kenyans were thrilled by the
arrival of football star, Denis Oliech and Kenyan professional rugby
players in France, Derrick Wamalwa and Dan Weku.
This initiative
emanated from three members of the Kenyan Diaspora – Bauwa Alambo, Jessy
Mutua and Agnes Erdorcio who then approached the five East African
Embassies for support. The Kenya Embassy in Paris played a key role in
facilitating the event and encouraging its sister Embassies to back the
initiative. The event won the endorsement of the East African Embassies
owing to its three-tiered significance: politically, French President
Sarkozy declared 2010 the Year for Africa, and numerous social,
economic, cultural and political events are taking place all over France
throughout the year within this framework; secondly, it is a promotion
of the rich cultural diversity of East Africa through fashion, food and
music; and finally it is a promotion of regional identity for the East
African Diaspora.
http://www.kenyaembassyparis.org/fr/miss-east-africa-contest/2
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