By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
The stage is set for the 2021 edition of the Face of Niger Delta Cultural Pageant (FONDCUP) beauty pageantry designed to showcase the cultural and tourism potential of the South-South region as 22 maidens are poised to jostle for the crown.
Convener of the initiative, Executive Director, LizGold Global International Ltd, Elizabeth Efe Era said the event is not all about crowning beauty queens but designed to promote socio-cultural integration, tourism, human capital development and advocacy projects in the region. Era added that the show would promote education, re-orientation of values among Niger Deltans and eradicate violence and cultism among others.
«The crown queen of FONDCUP would bring dignity and respect to the pageantry industry because FONDCUP promotes the rich cultural heritage and dignity of womanhood. Contestants will not wear bikini or be involved in indecent attires that would expose their curves. It would be a renaissance of the status quo while telling the unique African story of resilience, enterprise, valiance and aesthetics through the eyes of the Niger-delta woman.”
The pageantry, according to Era is anchored on the need to foster a community of young women of South-South extraction who will define the next generation of women leaders in the country.
She added that during the show, delegates would be given tasks that would prove how much they know about their culture among other criteria that would be used to access them. Era adds that she believes that the use of culture would boost national unity and peaceful co-existence.
The event is powered by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and World Kindness Initiative of Nigeria. The winner of the show will go home with a cash prize of a million naira and a brand new car among others.