AGAPE Mandizvidza, who was on Saturday crowned Miss Asia Pacific International Zimbabwe 2025 at the Zimbabwe Museum of Human Sciences in Harare, wishes to bring back lost cultural heritage through marketing the Great Zimbabwe Monuments in Masvingo.
The pageant ran under the theme, Promoting Zimbabwe Heritage and Monuments Sites through Cultural Exchanges.
A cosmetologist by profession, Mandizvidza said the Great Zimbabwe Monument had more glamour attached to it in addition to being a symbol of power, unity and protection.
“The Great Zimbabwe Monument is a tourist attraction and brings together people from all over the world for holidays and learning about the diverse culture of Zimbabwe. I would love to see a deeper appreciation of Zimbabwean culture, be it music, dance, fashion, housing, languages and education,” she said.
“The Great Zimbabwe is highly symbolic of the past, present and future of Zimbabwe. I would like to provide full positive communication on this beautiful site and rebuild a new understanding of the peace and tranquility that is typical of the nation of Zimbabwe. Social media has provided us with quick access to information and, however, in most cases has denied people a one-off understanding of the beauty of Zimbabwe's heritage and cultural sites.”
Simbarashe Gwawawa director of the Miss Asia International Pacific said the organisers of the event, the Zimbabwe Youth and Cultural Identity Enhancements Trust in partnership with the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, would retain all the participating models — Mandizvidza, Carren Sakupwanya, Tavonga Chiguvi, Catherine Wayah, Nicole Magutakuona and Nyasha Tembo — in their stable. Each of the six models represented a cultural and heritage site of her choice.
Mandizvidza also scooped the Best National Costume Award and the Best Evening Costume, Tembo was crowned first princess and resultantly grabbed the Miss Congeniality Award. Wayah became the second princess in addition to the Best Swim Wear winner. The three finalists will represent Zimbabwe at the Miss Asia Pacific International in September in the Philippines, including financial benefits and ambassadorial roles.
Nyarai Mundopa, curator at the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, said the theme, Promoting Zimbabwe Heritage and Monuments Sites through Cultural Exchange, was relevant to the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Museum of Human Sciences in Harare, as it brought people closer to their cultures and societies. Mundopa hailed the models for popularising several places in Zimbabwe, a move in the right direction for spearheading the Zimbabwean government's efforts in promoting local and international cultural tourism.
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In spite of not winning any award, Chiguvi, who is an innovator and researcher in agriculture and is also into traditional wine making using indigenous fruits, said the Miss Asia Pacific international pageant brought pride to the people of Zimbabwe for come up with culture-centred development.
“My cultural site of choice is Njedza, which was newly discovered, and the local people of Hwedza district would like to attract development through tourists who come to see cave paintings, ancient infrastructure and beautiful wetlands which are found in the area,” said Chiguvi.
Wayah promised to attract tourists to the Matopos Cultural Heritage Site. Wayah is a trained nurse and is studying journalism at the Midlands State University.
