Miss RD Congo contest aims to restore country's image

This year's Miss RD Congo 2016 beauty pageant has a new look and feel to restore the country's image, event organisers say.

Cape Town - This year's beauty pageant to find out who will be crowned Miss RD Congo 2016 has a new look and feel to restore the country's image, event organiser PYGMA Communication said in a statement on Thursday.

Held under the theme "Beauty that changes the world (la beaute qui change le monde)", the pageant which is currently taking place in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), sees 26 Congolese women vying for the crown in a three-month long competition.

What is different about the pageant, said PYGMA Communication CEO Alain Yav, was that it was being captured in a reality TV show format and broadcast live to the public as the 26 women went through the weekly elimination rounds as part of a 10-week programme.

Filming started on June 25 and the winner will be announced on September 3 during a live broadcast on the DRC's top four TV stations, including national broadcaster RTNC and the French bouquet Canal+ and on the Miss RD Congo YouTube channel.

PYGMA Communication is producing the event under the auspices of the DRC Tourism Ministry and in collaboration with other partners.

The pageant which is being filmed in Village Moseka, the house where the contestants live for the duration of filming, would enable audiences to get to know each of the 26 contestants as they prepare for the pageant and progress through the weekly elimination rounds.

Yav said during the 10 weeks, the contestants were presented with 10 challenges and 10 looks to pull off. These challenges also included starting a business, personal growth, and community engagement and responsibility - challenges essential for the judges to be able to determine who the winner will be.

Yav added that this year's pageant was significant for the Democratic Republic of Congo as "for the first time after decades of absence from the international arena, the winner of this year's Miss RD Congo pageant will represent the Democratic Republic of Congo in international beauty pageants, starting off with Miss World 2016".

He said: "Besides promoting the country, the values and cultures, PYGMA aims to tell a positive story of success and progress of African youth through this platform." It would also showcase the "richness of the Congolese people's talents and skills".

African News Agency