31 Mar 2014

Miss Miracle pageant, as the name suggest, is not your usual kind of beauty pageant.

The pageant organised by Mums Parent to Parent charity organisation, was purported to give beauty queens with disability a platform to showcase their talent, to prove that disability is indeed not inability.

A handful of beauty queens with disability contested alongside others without disability at Trinity Church on March 29. Contestants were a marvel to watch, especially with their carefree spirits and what mattered was that they had the confidence and beauty to parade for the first time although not paying attention to some of the rules, entertaining the spectators.

Thabang Mogorosi, a student with disability at Gaborone Technical College (GTC) was crowned the queen, the first princess was Keletso Sanoto, also a student with disability at GTC, while Melissa Baitse, a student without disability at Marulamantsi school was crowned second princess.

Former Miss World Tourism and also former Botswana representative at Big Brother Africa, Motamma Sesinyi, who graced the event and crowned winners, said the event was an eye opener for her.

Her role as a beauty queen, she said was to support and uplift people with challenges, adding that seeing the queens with disability on stage made her aware of a world she did not know.

Sesinyi said her part would be to take it up to the right people, who would be able to assist people with disability and realise their aim of building a day care centre and fitness centre.

The founder of Mums Parent to Parent, also the organiser of the event, Anastacia Mhaladi, said the event was to celebrate the capabilities of children with disabilities.

Meanwhile, a book titled ‘Dipolelo tsa Mmotlana’ by Sydney Thabiso Mhaladi, also a student with disability at GTC was launched at the same event.

Mhaladi said Mmotlana referred to himself and the book talks about Botswana history mainly culture. He started writing it in 2006, with the assistance of his mother, who advised and proofread it.

The book was published last year and Mhaladi encouraged Batswana to buy it and learn some insights.Ends