By Hajaratu Kalokoh
The winner of the recently conducted Anti-Violence beauty pageant has committed to ending violence in communities and schools.
Shalom Properia Emmanuelle John, who won the crown in the competition that was conducted on 29 February, is an SSS III pupil at the St Joseph Secondary School in Freetown. She is also Brand Ambassador for Sierra Leoneans Dream Foundation, an organization founded by youth activist and artist, Mohamed Arkmalin Kamara, which seeks to rebrand the lives of young people through career opportunities.
The Anti-Violence pageant was organized by Students and Youths Anti-Violence Movement in Sierra Leone, a non-governmental organization seeking to minimize and end violence among pupils and youths in the country.
In an interview with Politico, Shalom said:
“Taking part in this competition was a big opportunity for me, not only to represent my school but to sensitize youths and tell them the dangers of violence.”
She added: “Each and every one of us as youths can stand up for ourselves in saying no to violence. Violence is not acceptable.”
Shalom started her pageantry career last year when she won Miss Convent 2019.
In this anti-violence pageant competition, she won Le 1 million prize money.
She said in the coming months she intended to use the media vigorously to campaign against violence among pupils.
Executive Director of the movement, Imran Koroma, explained to Politico that as organizers they wanted to influence people’s mindset about pageantry, which is why they used it to preach against violence.
“We used that medium to preach against violence. For our own contest, this is the message we want to spread to people that pageantry does not mean perpetuating violence. It is a place where you go and enjoy,” he said, adding:
“We achieved a lot; we helped in bringing out schools together. Because certain schools, whenever they meet, they will use abusive languages and fight. But this time, they (pupils) all interacted and made new friends.”
Violence is becoming an increasingly difficult problem to deal with among pupils in Sierra Leone. Pupils from different schools are notorious for starting fights when they meet at sport meets and other occasions.
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