Zimbabwe: Looking Back - Confusion Reigns On Miss World Franchise

16 December 2024
The Herald (Harare)

Confusion continued yesterday over the Rhodesian franchise for the Miss World contest.

The Miss World organisers, Mecca, have reiterated that nobody in Rhodesia holds the franchise. But the organiser of the Miss Rhodesia competition, Mr Tony Ellis, claims that by virtue of succession from the former promoter, he holds it.

Entrants in the Miss Rhodesia contest postponed on Wednesday for three months through lack of public interest - were told on their entry forms that the contest organisers held the Miss World franchise. A former organiser of the Miss Rhodesia contest, Miss Vickie James, responsible for the last Rhodesian allowed to participate in the Miss World contest in 1965, said yesterday she had held the franchise.

"I wrote to Mecca after the then franchise holder, Anne Douglas, had left Rhodesia. As a result of my approach, they gave me the franchise. There is no money involved in the franchise.

"As far as Mecca are concerned, they are only interested that the contest is well organised and that the promoter bears all the financial responsibility until the girl reaches the Miss World contest."

Miss James said the Mecca administrative director had written to her in December 1966 and 1967 asking for the Rhodesian position as far as the contest was concerned.

"I pointed out there was little point in sending a Miss Rhodesia because of British animosity towards us," she said.

The contest went into abeyance until Mr Peter Armstrong revived it in 1972. Yesterday, Mr Armstrong said he had held the competition to find the best-looking girl in Rhodesia and not initially to enter the Miss World contest - never supposing there were any.

"But once the contest was off the ground, I got in touch with Mecca asking what chances there were of Miss Rhodesia entering the Miss World contest never supposing there were any."

LESSONS FOR TODAY

  • Beauty pageant franchises are organised competitions that allow individuals or organisations to hold beauty contests under a specific brand or title. Each franchise has its unique characteristics based on its mission and target audience.
  • The franchises come with guidelines, rules, and standards set by the parent organisation, which oversees the branding and operation of the pageants.
  • The controversy around the Miss World franchise in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), centred around two main parties: the official organisers of the Miss World pageant, Mecca, and Tony Ellis, who claimed to hold the rights to organise the Miss Rhodesia competition.
  • The lack of recognition stemmed from various factors, including political issues surrounding Rhodesia during this period, particularly its unrecognised status and international isolation due to its Smith's UDI in 1965.

Read the original article on The Herald.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2024 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.