Opinion

An Open Letter To Mr. Godfrey Kiwanda, State Minister For Tourism, Uganda

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Dear Mr. Godfrey Kiwanda,

State Minister for Tourism, Uganda

This is a public letter to you let you know that you have caused an uproar in Uganda and beyond by endorsing curvy women as tourists attraction with the aim to generate revenues.

I’m guessing that tourists coming to visit my beloved ‘Pearl of Africa’, Uganda will be looking at curvy women as a form of enrichment or entertainment.

It is unfortunate that Uganda is still in an era where women are grabbed by men in broad daylight when walking down the streets, then you the minister of tourism go ahead and endorse the ‘Tulambule ne Miss Curvy campaign’ by making women tourists’ attraction.

This is the most degrading move Uganda has done to its women and country. There are significant ways curvy women can be used to promote tourism and the country as a whole but not as you have endorsed it. This campaign is rather vulgar, it’s making Ugandan women look like sex objects and one that is inciting prostitution and sex abusers in our country.  

It also appears that you lack a team of responsible advisors on your cabinet meeting to consult you on how to spark change and development in the Uganda tourism industry. To make matters even worse, you happily posed with the Miss Curvy flyer which had the photo of Grace Msalame, a Kenyan media personality and who you did not seek consent from to use her photo for your campaign. As if to say, Uganda isn’t blessed with well-endowed women who could’ve been used on the poster.

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Ugandan girls and women have done excellently in recent years for their country from businesswomen in fashion, property, music, agriculture and hospitality sectors so why not showcase those achievements through the promotion of Uganda tourism.

The Figure Bombshell is a movement and revolution created to pioneer a plus-size market for women within the Uganda fashion industry and empower women through our initiatives which are yet to be unveiled at our events.

Lastly, The Figure Bombshell is in not in any way associated with Miss Curvy Uganda, whose diluted idea is an offspring of The Figure Bombshell’s.

#WomenAreNotSexObjects

Yours sincerely,

Doreen Faith

Doreen Faith is a Ugandan fashion designer based in the UK. She is the Creator & Chief Event Organizer of The Figure Bombshell: The Official Plus-Size Fashion Week, Uganda