The Miss Universe Zimbabwe Competition was held for the first time in 22 years on Saturday, and Brooke Bruk-Jackson clinched the coveted crown.
“I am proud to be Zimbabwean,” she said. “This is shocking and amazing at the same time. I am so overwhelmed. I can’t wait to perform my duties as the queen of Zimbabwe this year in El Salvador. I have been modelling a few years back in Cape Town and have been travelling around the world, but this is my first pageant,” she added.
The victory for the 21-year-old Zimbabwe native and model has been met with mixed reactions online because she is a white woman representing the African nation.
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Brooke Bruk Jackson crowning moment as Miss Universe Zimbabwe. pic.twitter.com/vdpROLxXyb— Platinum FM (@PlatinumFMZW) September 17, 2023
Some critics say the young woman won the competition because she is white and that a black contestant should have been selected to represent the country, where most of the population is black.
However, in 2021, Rehema Muthamia (of Kenyan heritage) won Miss England, while Indian doctor Bhasha Mukherjee won in 2019. Pamela Uba, born in South Africa to Nigerian parents, won Miss Ireland in 2021. According to Ireland’s 2022 census, 1.5% of the country’s population is black.
According to The Herald, the winner of the contest was decided by seven judges: Luis Munana, Zodwa Mkandla, Pokelo Nare, Joana Sharpe, Langa Sibanda, Simbarashe Chinyemba, and Karin Davis, six of whom are black. Bruk-Jackson will go on to represent the southern African country on the world stage during the upcoming Miss Universe pageant this November in El Salvador.
Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2023, Brooke-Bruk Jackson 🇿🇼 pic.twitter.com/edQVSsKIik— African Hub (@AfricanHub_) September 18, 2023
Source: TVP World