White South African Crowned First 'Mr. Africa'

OnyxCougar · 10-23-2003, 02:15 PM

Quote:

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's first male beauty contest has crowned its inaugural "Mr. Africa" -- a white bank employee who sported a bullfighter's costume to celebrate his Spanish heritage.

Theuns Prinsloo, 22, beat some 3,000 other contestants at the pageant, the first to showcase what organizers say is the diversity of the modern African man, officials said Thursday.

Prinsloo's victory was greeted with a surprised headline in the Johannesburg Star: "First Mr. Africa is a white male dressed as a bullfighter!"

Prinsloo has a Spanish great-grandmother. About a tenth of South Africa's 45 million people are white.

"Everyone born in Africa is an African," Prinsloo told Reuters Thursday.

Pageant organizer Carolyn Baldwin said: "Contestants had to demonstrate knowledge of their forefathers' origins and know each others' cultures. The theme of the whole event is about uniting all Africans."

"Theuns showed remarkable potential in his Spanish bullfighter's costume. He epitomizes a young African in Africa today," Baldwin added.

Prinsloo was awarded $7,100 worth of clothes, a voucher for a photographic portfolio and a hamper of beauty products by the mainly white judging panel.

The first runner-up in the contest held earlier this month was black. The second runner-up was of Indian descent.

OK, so why is this news?

Because the first Mr. Africa is white/hispanic?
Because the panel was mainly white?
Because on 90% of Africa is black?

I realized that *I* was reading with my own prejudices. My immediate thought is that Mr. Africa should be black. Now I realize that was entierly too prejudiced of me to think.

Also, a hispanic decent person in the US is called Hispanic or Hispanic-American. In Africa, he's called an African, not Hispanic-African. I think that's important to point out.

But then again, isn't that racist? He's Hispanic, but because his skin is white, he's a "White African".

Ooo...my head hurts now....

xoxoxoBruce · 10-23-2003, 06:34 PM

Your head hurts? That's what happens when you try to make sense of things that happen in Johannesburg.

minnymouse152 · 11-01-2003, 01:04 PM

This kind of sounds like an article from The Onion. I didn't know Africa even had a men's beauty pagent. And, personnaly, I don't think anyone even watched it or cared about it enough to make a statement that they thought the judging and what not was fixed. I'm not saying it was. Though, it all sounds a little suspisios.

OnyxCougar · 11-02-2003, 08:18 AM

No, it's searchable through google. The Onion might have covered it, but this was the reuters article.

It was posted mostly because I found a preconception in myself and thought I'd share.

Welcome to the Cellar, BTW... I'm the first to welcome you ... it appears Bruce is sleeping on the job...

xoxoxoBruce · 11-02-2003, 08:38 AM

Naw, sleeping off the job.:p

10-23-2003, 06:34 PM	#2
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Your head hurts? That's what happens when you try to make sense of things that happen in Johannesburg. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

11-01-2003, 01:04 PM	#3
minnymouse152 Kinda New Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: I live in Hoboken, NJ, site of the blockbuster hit 'The Great Hoboken Chicken Emergency' Posts: 1	This kind of sounds like an article from The Onion. I didn't know Africa even had a men's beauty pagent. And, personnaly, I don't think anyone even watched it or cared about it enough to make a statement that they thought the judging and what not was fixed. I'm not saying it was. Though, it all sounds a little suspisios. __________________ But, shhhhhhhh, don't tell anybody.

11-02-2003, 08:18 AM	#4
OnyxCougar Junior Master Dwellar Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kingdom of Atlantia Posts: 2,979	No, it's searchable through google. The Onion might have covered it, but this was the reuters article. It was posted mostly because I found a preconception in myself and thought I'd share. Welcome to the Cellar, BTW... I'm the first to welcome you ... it appears Bruce is sleeping on the job... __________________ Impotentes defendere libertatem non possunt. "Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth." ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

11-02-2003, 08:38 AM	#5
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Naw, sleeping off the job.:p __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

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