We currently have the Miss Africa International, Miss Chinese International, Miss Lebanese Communities, Miss India Worldwide and Miss Italia nel Mondo pageants to mention a few. These pageants welcome contestants from different countries with a common heritage to compete against one another on an international stage.Some commentators call it cloaked discrimination and question the validity of this pageant genre given that we now belong to a global community and should be celebrating that which we have in common, rather than that which separates us. An opposing view welcomes the celebration of heritage.
Internationally, it is not uncommon for Miss Philippines to be Canadian, Miss Germany to be Venezuelan or Miss Italy to be from the Dominican Republic, to mention but a few. I know for a fact that, from a South African perspective, countries such as Greece, Lebanon and Portugal have welcomed South Africans with dual-nationality to their national pageants.
Our very own Vanessa Carreira could well have represented Portugal at the 1999 Miss Universe pageant given that, as Miss Portugal SA, she competed at the 1998 Miss Portugal pageant and finished in the Top 6. A win at that pageant would have pitted her against Sonia Raciti in 1999. Miss SA 1985, Andrea Stelzer, competed at Miss Universe in 1989 as Miss Germany (although the circumstances were different), and the 1996 Miss International winner from Portugal was Miss Teen SA in 1993.
Contrary to popular belief, South Africans of all races and backgrounds are leaving the country in their droves, as has been the case for the past few years. It is not uncommon to see a Miss Venter or Miss Kleinschmidt on the contestant list for Miss Universe New Zealand, or a Miss van den Bergh winning a national title in Australia. It is only a matter of time before we see a Miss van der Merwe representing the UK, or a Miss Mokoena competing at Miss Universe as Miss Canada.
Given the aforementioned phenomena, is it absurd to envisage a Miss SA Worldwide pageant in the not-too-distant future, or see a Miss SA Communities in Australia or New Zealand competing at the Miss SA pageant as is the case with so many countries abroad?
Miss Italia nel Mondo is held in the week preceding the Miss Italia pageant, and the winner of the pageant officiates at the national pageant. Imagine a Miss SA Worldwide pageant in the week preceding Miss SA with an almost exclusively European line-up? I personally doubt that it will ever happen. From what I have heard, we already have a problem recruiting credible contestants from certain demographic groups as it is. I doubt that the organisers will start importing expatriats to complete the local line-ups given that the majority of former South Africans currently competing on the pageant circuit abroad are almost exclusively of European heritage. Let's wait and see.