COVER: Controversy arises as Sitti Mtemvu reigns

It was a beauty contest that almost didn’t take place.

For the first time since its reintroduction and probably in the entire history of the Tanzania edition of the pageant, a court case threatened to derail a whole year’s work.

One court order followed another as petitioners traded accusations, it was not easy to tell who was right, and to date we still don’t know.

To some it was a brawl that could have been compared to two spoilt children struggling over a little piece of a bun left in the kitchen.

And as they say when children fight over certain things then it is obvious that there is a shortage somewhere or just sheer greed.

Finally when the dust had settled Sitti Mtemvu from Temeke was declared ‘the fairest of them all’; she had beaten other 30 contestants to take the crown home.

 Following closely were Lilian Kamazima from Arusha as the first runner-up and Ilala’s Jihan Dimachk who was declared the second runner-up.

She had convinced the audience and the seven-man panel of judges beyond reasonable doubt to claim the crown that last year went to a representative from Dodoma, Happiness Waitimanywa.

The 18-year-old had what it takes, the calm, the persona, gracefulness and even her education background was a thing that most of her competitors could have envied.

Her coronation sparked off jubilation from her sympathizers or well-wishers who carried placards with inscriptions ‘Team Sitti’.

For her efforts, she took home a handsome cash prize of Sh 18 million marking a change in the type of presents that beauty queens have received in the past.

Last year’s winner and those that came before her were usually awarded cars as their winning prize.

But after the dust had settled over Saturday’s event, there were matters arising and on top of the agenda has been the issue of the new beauty queen’s age and questions on why she chose to address a Swahili/English speaking audience in French.

Records that had been availed earlier showed that Sitti was 18 years old and that she had a Master’s degree.

This became a major talking point with some questioning how Sitti could have started school at -5 or so! 

It was puzzling to say the least, as it became one of the most trending issues on most social media platforms. A copy of what appeared to be her passport which was also posted. This one however indicated something else!

Miss Tanzania committee has been quick to clarify that the US-educated beauty was actually born in May 1991 and that she was 23 and not 18 as it had been rumoured.

 These revelations have left us at crossroads, Sitti’s real age remains a mystery.

Organiser say an official statement will soon be released .

Sitti is fluent in English, Kiswahili and French, what continues to puzzle many is why on that night she chose French over Kiswahili if at all she deemed it necessary to translate whatever she was saying.

It was also puzzling that a section of the audience who cheered her so loudly after she had finished addressing them in French later on went on to complain.

To many this was an uncalled for swagger; she just didn’t make sense at all and it also questions the credibility of the panel. What is the criterion? Do you answer questions in any language of your choice?

But as Sitti’s win now borders to a non-issue, a dark cloud hangs over Miss Tanzania as an institution after what happened a few days to the contest.

First, though the contest was successfully held, the next job is to make sure that the beauty queen is nurtured to participate at the Miss World contest in 2015.

This is going to be a task especially with such wrangles within the Miss Tanzania family which pits Prashant Patel against his long time associate Hasheem Lundenga.

Second, according to many observers, the wrangles have done very little to improve the image of Miss Tanzania and many believe that this could well be the beginning of a downward spiral.

“Whether this issue is settled out of court or not, the damage was done from the day that court case was filed. These guys might struggle to find meaningful sponsorship in the coming years because sponsors always put their money where their mouths are,” says one observer.

These could be very trying moments for Miss Tanzania at a time when many admit that the contest has lost its lustre in comparison to what it was a decade ago.

Back in the days, this was the place where the rich and famous came to play and show off their pricey possessions, this was not the case last Saturday.

In fact, many of the city’s socialites stayed away from the event that was once ranked alongside the Simba Versus Yanga derby duels in terms of popularity.

Gauging by what was on offer on Saturday night very little creativity has been added to the pageant and it is easily predictable.

It was a must attend for whoever considered himself worth being called a socialite.

Though organisers will argue otherwise, this year’s primaries alone should have served as a warning shot, one that showed that this boat was sailing without ballast and could soon sink if something is not done.

Even with such desires of rekindling the glory years, the question is, how do you salvage Miss Tanzania’s image?

Having struggled with stereotypes in the early years with many branding the girls who participated in the contests as loose women, in recent years there are many who had begun to give it a nod.

Probably this approval did not work in the advantage of the pageant; those at the helm seem to have lowered their guards and comprised a few things and hence the falling standards.