Miss Millennium back on stage
Mompati Tlhankane | Sunday February 6, 2022 06:00
The pageant, which started in 2008, will crown a new queen two years after the current queen was crowned in 2020. During a media briefing this week, Millennium Jazz Restaurant director Shima Monageng said they were happy to finally host the event again after a years’ absence because of COVID-19. Monageng explained that what he cherishes about the beauty pageant is that the ladies come from different backgrounds and professions. “As we know with this pageant, it is not only about beauty on the outside. We believe that beauty comes from the heart,” he said.
He also said the beauty queen who will be crowned later this month should go out there and show the beauty from within by assisting the less privileged members of the society.
Monageng stated that every year the organisers take the pageant to another level. For her part, the first Miss Millennium Queen who was crowned in 2008 Felicity Bogacu said the current queen should be commended for holding fort for two years.
Giving an overview of the pageant, Bogacu said Miss Millennium was established 14 years ago by jazz music fanatics under a morula tree at the Millennium Jazz Restaurant.
“Surely the mandate was to give back to the community. When it started Miss Millennium was still at grassroots level. We didn’t know much about pageantry but as years passed, it grew because of the support from partners, the community and various stakeholders,” she recalled. Bogacu also pointed out that the pageant was built under a Vision 2016 pillar, ‘a compassionate and caring nation’. She encouraged contestants to have a project of their choice in mind in order to give back to the community.
One of pageant organisers, Zenzele Hirschfeld revealed that this year they do not have Mascom as the title sponsor but they also have sponsors who have come on board to be part of the growing pageant. She said COVID-19 has left so many devastating effects among them the loss of their former queen and stakeholders. Hirschfeld added that the queen this year will walk away with prizes worth P20,000.
She said this year they will also hold a high tea on February 12, 2022 at Maitisong. She said the High Tea is meant for contestants to be equipped with the necessary knowledge and expertise. Hirschfeld further said they will also organise a health session with retired local athlete, Amantle Montsho.