Tanzanian women role models

Image: Luis Quezada

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.

Flaviana Matata

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 after-school clubs for girls and distributing toiletry boxes to schools for girls to use during their menstrual cycle.

In 2018, Matata was named Most Inspirational Woman at the Global Women Gala.

Donate to the work of the foundation at flavianamatatafoundation.org

Sylivia Sebastian Bebwa

The Mwanza-born Sylivia was crowned Miss Tanzania in 2019 and went on to compete in that year’s Miss World competition. She has qualifications in physics, chemistry and biology and at one time harboured ambitions to be a doctor.

The desire to help others with health conditions informed her choice of ‘beauty with purpose’ project for the Miss World event. Sylivia works with children in Tanzania who have hydrocephalus, a condition in which an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid occurs within the brain, often causing long term complications such as learning disabilities and speech and memory problems. Sufferers can have a full life span if the condition is caught early enough and Sylvia’s work has so far helped raise funds for 20 families to get treatment while also raising awareness of a condition that can attract damaging superstitious beliefs in some Tanzanian communities.

Sylivia, who in her spare time loves sport and dancing, is also involved in supporting the work of non-profit Smile Train, which provides corrective surgery for children with cleft lips and palates, as well as the Tanzania Breast Cancer Foundation.

Having had a modest upbringing in Mwanza before gaining global renown as Miss Tanzania, she was also an inspirational presence at a recent Global Peace Foundation event, encouraging young girls to follow their dreams.

Miriam Odemba

Odemba was the first Tanzanian model to win a contract with world-leading modelling agency Elite and was the first from her country to win a major world beauty pageant when she was crowned Miss Earth/Air/Water in 2008.

The elemental nature of her title has also inspired the direction of her philanthropic work. The Miriam Odemba Foundation was set up in 2019 with its environmentally friendly projects including providing clean drinking water in rural areas and the planting of trees to offset global warming. Its work also encourages families to send their children to school and empowers women in communities. The not-for-profit foundation already has an impressive list of completed projects. It has provided water cans for pupils in Miteza, Mingombe and Kiwambo; funded the school fees of 250 students in the Manyara district; built a deep solar well and renovated a school in the Mkuranga district; paid for a double green house for the Matokeo Agriculture Group and bought 10 sewing machines for a sustainable women’s project.

To donate to the foundation’s work, visit miriamodembafoundation.org

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.

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.

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

Queen Elizabeth Makune

Makune was Tanzania’s representative in the 2018 Miss World beauty pageant and has continued to boost the profile of her home country in setting up Twenzetu Kutali, which showcases the many attractions of Tanzania to a domestic market and provides an online savings account designed to help Tanzanians save for the safari holiday they have always dreamed of.

Makune knows how rewarding it is to experience Tanzania’s greatest natural attractions. She has climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and she also aims high when it comes to her career. She is ambassador for Jatu PLC, a food retailer that supports the Tanzanian agricultural industry by providing a supportive market outlet for local farmers. Her role involves spreading the company’s mission to build health and eradicate poverty through human resources, agriculture and industry. The MBA student is also a regular speaker at the Jatu Unitalk seminars at universities where she shares with students the rewarding career paths available for graduates that will make the most of their years of learning.

To find out more about Twenzetu Kutali, visit its Instagram page #twenzetukutalii