Civil society caught off guard by Miss NGO contest

SomeNamibian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) were surprised by Quintina Tjizumaue’s appointment as ambassador of all local CSOs at a pageant last Friday.

Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) executive director Graham Hopwood says they have never heard of the the Miss Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) pageant, adding that conversations he had with other civil societies revealed that none of them endorsed the appointment.

“The IPPR, as one of the leading CSOs in the country, was not aware of this Miss NGO contest. The other CSOs that we work with are also in the dark about it,” Hopwood says.

He adds that Tjizumaue’s appointment is “strange” as no prior consultation was done.

“It’s quite surprising because we read that this beauty queen is supposed to represent and be an ambassador for Namibian civil society yet we know nothing about it.”

Graham Hopwood

Human rights activist Linda Baumann echoes Hopwood’s sentiments, highlighting that Tjizumaue is unknown to most CSOs and it is not quite clear how she is to represent them.

“As CSOs, we have all been surprised that this event took place with no proper consultation. The speaker has no right to allocate somebody to become our ambassador who does not even work within the NGO sector,” she says.

According to Baumann, there are concerns about whether Tjizumaue has the ability to articulate national issues, adding that it is not clear what her responsibilities as a representative are.

Baumann says there has never been a similar role before and they are currently seeking the audience of the organising committee to have a gentleman’s conversation about the background of the pageant.

Contacted for comment, Tjizumaue says her appointment has nothing to do with past relationships with NGOs or CSOs.

“That ambassadorial position comes with the ‘Beauty With a Purpose’ title I won as Miss NGO Namibia on Friday,” she says.

“I humbly call out to all NGOs and CSOs, both local and international, to join my journey of impacting lives and building generations. I have so much in the pipeline for my term, but I can only accomplish it if I have the support of everyone,” she adds.