Eirene wins the cash, car and crown
When doors opened for the grand finale of this year’s Miss Malaika pageant last Saturday night, one name that was quite popular among patrons at the auditorium of the National Theatre, was Stephanie, a final year student of Central University.
From the chants she earned anytime her name was mentioned, there was no doubt that she had the majority of fans on her side but that was not enough to get her the coveted crown.
At the end of the almost five hours show, it was Eirene Nsudoom,19, a student of the University of Ghana, Legon who beat the other nine contestants to land the Miss Malaika crown, cash and car.
For her prize, she took home a brand new Kia Cereto, a cash prize and a scholarship package to enrol at the Abbeam Institute of Technology School and souvenirs from sponsors. Eirene will also be the official National Youth Ambassador for the campaign against the spread of malaria.
The second position went to Sharon Davidor, an 18-year-old graduate of Wesley Girls’ High School and Joyce Mante Ayeh earned the third place.
The show, which began about 9:30pm, almost two hours after the advertised time took off with a choreographed dance by all the contestants. After the introduction, each delegate answered questions posed to them by the MC, Naa Ashorkor, on what they intended to use the Miss Malaika crown for.
It was a delight to watch the ladies display not just beauty but eloquence and intelligence as well. They all had peculiar reasons for competing in the pageant but it was Stephanie’s answer on her passion to educate the public on Autism that drew the loudest cheers for the session.
After this segment, the 10 contestants were trimmed down with Sharon, Anita, Stephanie, Eirene and Joyce making the top five.
The “question and answer” session which followed was the deciding moment for each of the delegates to showcase their intelligence and poise.
Eirene’s presentation of making relevant one’s talent went down well with the judges- Lawyer/TV personality, Sandra Ankobiah, musician, Stephanie Benson, communication specialist, PaJohn Benstifi Dadson and Mrs Theresa Ayoade Executive Director of Chaterhouse.
Earlier on, Eirene had made a good impression with her talent display and it was not surprising she earned the “Best Talent” award.
The Miss Malaika competition began in late August this year when 16 ladies were introduced as participants of this year‘s reality TV series. For 13 weeks, the ladies were taken through intensive grooming and preparation for the finals.
The 16 ladies were cut down to 10 - Anita, Ann, Mina, Eirene, Kathlen, Sharon, Ivy, Cynthia, Joyce and Stephanie who contested at the finals. Their scores were based on the weekly tasks, public votes and the judges’ marks for performances on the night.
The night was interspersed with music performances. Trust DJ Black to deliver the best selections on any day. He knew which songs to play at a particular moment to liven the moods of the patrons.
In addition to DJ Black, musicians MzVee, EL, and Edem also mounted the stage.
This year’s Miss Malaika Ghana was supported by UB Hair Relaxer, KIA by Rana Motors, Sivoderm, Ethiopian Airlines, Abbeam Institute, Royco, Crown Paints, Starr FM and powered by GhOne TV.