Abuja, the Nigerian capital city, has been selected to host this year’s edition of the Miss Heritage Global pageant with beauty queens from 60 countries already booked to compete for honours in the show which is tagged #Abujatotheworld and slated for October 2021.
The 2019 edition of the pageant was hosted in Accra, the Ghanaian capital city.
The event, which is billed to last 10 days, will commence with an international Entertainment Economic Summit in the last week of September at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Monday, President of Miss Heritage Global, Nhlanhla Shabangu, said the event will showcase Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage in cuisines, fashion, dance etc., as the contestants will also undertake a tour of the country’s heritage sites to learn about Nigeria as well as experience everyday culture in “Africa’s most culturally influential country”.
“Nigeria is at the front of putting African culture forward on a global stage and so it has been our goal to host Miss Heritage global in Nigeria from inception. Everywhere around the world, people are listening to afrobeat and eating African food because of Nigeria’s influence and now we are bringing the world to experience the source of all this cultural creativity”, said Shabangu.
According to him, “hosting Miss Heritage Global puts a global spotlight on Nigeria’s culture in an educative and entertaining experience that has something for everyone”
Shabangu said the Miss Heritage Global 10-day experience will allow the world to see the authentic side of Nigeria outside of mainstream media narratives through the contestants’ firsthand experience which they will share online.
“The 10 days event also aims to promote cultural diplomacy by engaging the diplomatic corps from participating countries in the host country through various networking events that open up the opportunity for international business and collaboration. All of this culminating into a captivating live show celebrating world culture through music, fashion, and dance which will be broadcast live on www.missheritage.org”, he stated.
Commenting on the kind of beauty that will wear the Miss Heritage crown, Vice President and creator of Miss Heritage Global, Ronald Tisauke, who was also at the press briefing, said, “Miss Heritage Global is the woman who has demonstrated an openness to learning a new culture, while displaying pride for her own. At the core of the MHG brand is unity in diversity, so the Miss Heritage Global Queen is a cultural ambassador who embodies the ability for humanity to come together and despite our cultural differences”.
Contestants in the pageants are expected to arrive in Nigeria on October 1, 2021, and will take part in several pre-pageant events fixed to boost the show.
Earlier in his welcome address, President of Entertainment Economic Summit Africa Group (EESA), who chaired the event, Alhaji Musa Mantu said the event will be held in collaboration with federal government agencies to promote Nigeria’s rich heritage.
Stating that EESA aims at driving new initiatives and partnerships for the good of the new digital economy and the sustainability of the entertainment industry in Nigeria and indeed Africa at large, Alhaji Mantu thanked organizers of the event for selecting Abuja as host city from over 120 interested cities across the world.
Mantu said entertainment and tourism have the potentials to boost Nigeria’s economic fortunes, away from oil, if properly harnessed.
Quoting PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Mantu said “apart from the tourism, arts and digital economy industries, the media and entertainment industry contributes more than $717 billion to the United States economy. The film and television industry alone contributes more than $41 billion each year to the economy and provide nearly two million people with employment. Nigeria as the highest content producing country in the world at the moment can be a direct beneficiary and If Africa can create one market, then, we can compete favourably well with any market globally.”
Speaking also, Media Partner for the event, Charles Ndudim, said Abuja is about to experience a show that will turn its fortunes around.
According to him, the Miss Heritage Global pageant is the biggest event in the tourism and entertainment calendar scheduled for 2021 adding that all Covid-19 prevention protocols will be fully observed in the management of the event.
He urged Nigerians to be ready for an event that will not be easily deleted from their memory in a long time.