ODDS OF HOSTING MISS ESWATINI IN COVID-19 TIMES

MBABANE - These are certainly unprecedented times for the entire world.

Daily life has changed significantly as the world tries to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. So many companies have closed down, events stopped and because of that a lot of people have lost their jobs. Pageantry is one of the many industries hard hit by COVID-19 as it centres momentously on live events and gatherings. Everything about pageants is incredibly social. An audience huddles in a crowded auditorium to watch a group of women perform and compete on stage; the event concludes with the last two standing, huddled together and holding hands before one is announced the winner and spends the next year schmoozing and smiling at parades, galas, charity events, sports games, schools, and other incredibly crowded places.

Announcement

Acting Prime Minister, Themba Masuku made an announcement that all gatherings including events should be halted, which was followed by Pageants Eswatini’s announcement on the postponment the Miss Eswatini contest, which was set to take place before the year 2020 ended. Prior to that, Pageants Eswatini had proclaimed that they would be hosting Miss Eswatini virtually.  Pageants Eswatini President Catrien Potgieter had said the public would vote for contestants online by liking their pictures which would have been uploaded on the pageant’s Facebook page.   “The pandemic has prohibited us from gathering hence we decided to use an innovative way of picking the final contestants by allowing the public to choose their favourite content. A winner will be determined by the number of likes and reactions from their post on Facebook,” Potgieter said. 

It is worth noting that neighbouring countries like South Africa hosted their pageant online and through mainstream media. The pageant was broadcasted live on both M-Net and Mzansi Magic and there was no audience except for the production crew and the contestants.

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