East African nations of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania came together to host the first-ever edition of Mr and Miss Albinism East Africa pageant. The contest’s motto was ‘Beauty beyond the skin’
Thirty Contestants from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania came together to participate in the first edition of Mr and Miss Albinism East Africa pageant in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi. The motto for the contest was ‘Beauty beyond the skin’ through which it sought to spread awareness about albinism.
People living with albinism face a substantial amount of discrimination in African nations given the stigma arising from the lack of knowledge about the disorder.
With greater interaction between people suffering from albinism and the society at its centre, the event started with a series of auditions, followed by the selection of thirty finalists. The thirty participants then attended a boot camp to enhance their modeling skills for the competition.
A contestant from Kenya, Sherleen Tunai Lumumba said, “It is about self-esteem. I gained more confidence addressing the big crowd during the event. I was just having so much fun”, further adding, “I made a lot of new friends from different African countries and this event helped me to create new links with people living with albinism.”
The event was organised by the Albinism Society of Kenya, established to bring together and assist people with albinism, and its partners in Uganda and Tanzania. Silas Shedrack, 21, from Tanzania was crowned Mr Albinism East Africa and Maryanne Muigai, 19, from Kenya was crowned Miss Albinism East Africa. The two winners also received cash prices and an opportunity to become ambassadors of the partner organisations for a year.