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Andy Abulime, president and CEO of the Millennium
Festival of Beauty, the organiser of the event, saw
the night as a promising venue to select the
informal ambassadors who will go on to compete
internationally and promote Ethiopia.
"The external recognition these ladies receive as
they travel to international competitions will only
serve to strengthen and enhance Ethiopian's image,"
according to Mr. Abulime.
As the curtains dropped revealing the contestants
staunchly posed, clad in shiny teal dresses, the
audience roared in approval. After passing the
selection process based on physical features,
pageant experience and education levels, the
contestants braced for the judgement of a panel
consisting of Miss Tourism from Kenya, as well as
representatives from the international beauty
pageant circuit.
The smooth talking host, Mr. Abulime, did his part
to guide the mood, though the repetitive jokes about
women taking too long on stage trying to pre-empt
the beginning of the talent show came through as a
stiff strain on his British accented speeches.
The opening display of traditional dresses featured
perfectly tailored renditions of the cultural garb
of Ethiopia's various ethnicities as well as
innovative takes with modern flattering spins on the
originals. The London designed apparel was stylish,
but some of the garments seemed to give a slight
edge to the contestants sporting certain dresses.
Though the organisers made an attempt to be fair to
all regions of the country, the woman donning a
baggy Gurage style garment had difficulty
eliciting the same ovation from the audience as the
participant displaying her ample figure in the
tightly fitted colourful leather of a southern
region dress.
The events passed punctuated with a mix of
entertainment from modern beats by DJ Tesfahun
Sebsibe to Harage nightclub style singing.
Though there was seldom a silent moment, annoyingly
long delays between the action that could have been
ironed out with a little more practice and
organisation showed a lack of preparation. This
would have granted the once-a-year pageant more
professionalism and credibility as Mr. Abulime's
instructions to the already pressured girls to dance
to fast paced hip-hop in their evening gowns while
he took five minutes to confer with judges was
hardly a substitute for a coherent programme.
As the evening progressed, each woman took on a
character of her own through the various events. In
this respect, the evening was a success as the
audience was offered a window into the personality
of each lady.
The swimsuit contest was unusual for beauty pageants
as all the women donned the same scanty red cloth
and paraded around twirling one of the three pieces
over their head as they exited the stage. If the
contestants were given the opportunity to let their
choice of garments reflect their own personalities,
it would have given a better sense of each woman's
individuality rather than a forced march type
approach where they looked as part of a staged
programme. In this respect, the evening was more of
a stage show, closely guided by the organiser than a
demonstration of the ladies' uniqueness.
Similarly, the talent show was rather repetitive as
each dance was followed by much of the same shoulder
swinging. Though two punctuated sparks of
exceptionality broke through, as a dazzling salsa
dance and a hilarious child's voice unexpectedly
came from a beautiful mature woman, the overall
impression was a slow moving and unoriginal
showcase.
With numerous apologies from Mr. Abulime as to the
length of the event, the judges deliberated while
the crowd waited in anticipation. One last attempt
to sort out the talent involved questions directed
at individual ladies. Here some confusion was
apparent as the non-Amharic speaking judges faced
difficulty getting the desired responses from
contestants with varying levels of English ability.
The criteria for quality responses raised questions
of the importance of language abilities as the
winner will be participating in an international
event conducted in English.
With the exception of some attendees who were
obviously family or friends, judging from their
impassioned screaming, many of the crowd appeared to
be ready for a conclusion to the three-hour long
show.
Drawing to a close the event that showed a strain of
the patience of some of the more competitive women,
the judges selected the top five models, as well as
awarding numerous contestants unique prizes such as
miss konjo, miss nations and miss photogenic.
The top five in ascending order were, Semira Yasin,
miss inter-continental; Eyerusalem Mulluget, miss
international; Hizbayesh Amara, miss tourism, Nardos
Tafese, miss world, who will go on to the Miss Earth
competition in the Philippines; and the winner,
Kidan Gebregziabher, miss millennium.
This year's contest was the first that incorporated
a miss teen competition held the previous evening in
a similar format; Gelila W. Yohannes, 18, came out
victorious.
While the organisers of this event certainly had
beautiful women and an impressive venue around which
to craft an exciting event, a little more thought
would have made attendees paying the 75 Br entrance
fee more confidant of their choice. Pageant fans
will have to wait for the competitions promised in
the coming month to witness a true showcase.
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