Role models
Flaviana Matata
ROLE MODELS Tanzania is blessed with beauty queens and fashion models whose appeal is far more than skin deep. Twiga takes a close-up look at the homegrown goddesses that have used their high profile to help others.
Queen Mugesi Ainory Gesase Being crowned Miss Grand Tanzania in 2018 and the modelling career that followed has brought many opportunities for international travel for Queen Mugesi Ainory Gesase. The 22-year-old has always been someone with an interest in global issues. She studied international relations and diplomacy at Tanzania Centre for Foreign Relations, one of the country’s most prestigious learning institutions, and attached herself to the work of the African Reflections Foundation.
The keen dancer and singer has shown her commitment to charity work since her teens when she began volunteering for the Alpha and Omega Reconciliation and Peace Building, educating and campaigning for the prevention of war and violence and the effects it has on women and children. For details on how to get involved in Alpha and Omega Reconciliation and Peace Building projects, visit: arepeb.or.tz/g
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In 2018, Matata was named Most Inspirational Woman at the Global Women Gala. Queen Mugesi surrounded by children on an outreach project for the African Reflections Foundation
Donate to the work of the foundation at flavianamatatafoundation.org
Image: Luis Quezada
Among the NGO’s continent-wide operations is Village Hearts Projects in Tanzania, which tackles hardships in the country’s rural areas. As its Water Ambassador, Queen Mugesi has fronted outreach projects in villages such as Mwarusembe in the Pwani region, where the project built a deep well at the local primary school to provide clean water for villagers. Mugesi oversaw the handing out of carrying cans to pupils so they can transport water back for their families after each school day.
Matata was the first ever winner of the Miss Universe Tanzania competition, in 2007, and has gone on to become one of Africa’s most recognisable and successful models. Her striking looks have seen her front campaigns for global brands such as Diesel and Clarins, and build a global profile she has used to pursue philanthropic projects dear to her. Matata was raised in Shinyanga, in northern Tanzania, and after completing high school gained a diploma in electrical engineering at Arusha Technical College. It’s an academic path many young Tanzanians – girls especially – don’t get the chance to take. Matata credits her parents for always prioritising education and wants to do all she can to support more young women to stay in school and pursue their potential. The Flaviana Matata Foundation offers scholarships to young girls to pay for their fees through high school and into further education so they have the skills and support they need to get a job or start a business. Other accomplishments include renovating schools, kitting them out with new tables and desks, organising afterschool clubs for girls and distributing toiletry boxes to schools for girls to use during their menstrual cycle.
