By Brighton Zimidzi
The 2023 edition of Mr and Miss rural Zimbabwe will not only showcase models on the catwalk but it will also be a platform to break out upcoming performing artists.
In an interview with Zim GBC News Sipho Mazibuko, who is the brains behind this pageant that targets to unearth super models from rural areas disclosed that the 2023 edition will be very unique in many ways.
“Our pageant has always been associated with musicians and other performing artists. In the formative years of Miss rural we worked very closely with one of today’s superstar Sandra Ndebele. In 2023 besides looking for Zimbabwean next rural based supermodel, we may just unearth another Sandra Ndebele,” Mazibuko said.
She started Miss rural Zimbabwe pageant back in 2002 though dogged by a lot of negative publicity, it actually catapulted many models to regional and international stardom.
Mazibuko shelved the pageant for a number of years while battling mental and personal problems.
Some players is the arts industry have welcomed the inclusion of artists in this years pageant stating that entertainment and cultural industries need each other to jointly contribute to the governments vision 2030.
” The fact that the chosen artists will perform in the other provinces makes it interesting. This pageant might be what artists need as it will introduce some regional or district level artists into national artists”, said Luckson Nyoka an upcoming poet.
NAMA 2022 award winning actor Kumbilani Ncube applauded Mazibuko and her team. He encouraged other promoters to take a leaf from this pageant promoters.
“Upcoming artists really need that kind of exposure as they face a lot of challenges”, said the Ndebele dance-hall musician Ma9ine.
At the time of going to press, the organisers were holding auditions at Hloseni Arts in Bulawayo last Friday. The auditions were for artists who were going to be awarded contracts to perform in 10 provinces during the Mr and Miss rural Zimbabwe 2023.