“Exploring Zimbabwe’s White Population as Brooke Bruk Jackson’s Miss Universe Win Sparks Diverse Reactions”
Brooke Bruk Jackson was crowned Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2023 on Saturday, September 16, during the pageant held at the Harare Hippodrome in Braeside, Harare. She emerged victorious by surpassing 11 other finalists to secure the prestigious title. However, the pageant has generated significant controversy online, as it crowned a white woman as the champion, despite representing an African nation with a predominantly black population. This decision has sparked discussions and backlash across various platforms.
Brooke Bruk Jackson’s victory in the Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2023 pageant means that she will have the opportunity to represent Zimbabwe in the upcoming Miss Universe 2023 competition, scheduled to take place in November of this year in El Salvador. Notably, Zimbabwe has yet to secure the title since its debut in the competition back in 1994. The country’s highest achievement in the Miss Universe pageant was in the year 2000 when Corinne Crewe made it to the top 10. With Brooke Bruk Jackson’s recent win, Zimbabwe will be making its first appearance in the Miss Universe competition in more than two decades, and there will undoubtedly be heightened anticipation and support for her representation on the global stage.
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Brooke Bruk Jackson
Following the news going viral on social media platforms, many netizens have been criticizing the pageant for crowning a white woman to represent a country with a population that is over 98 percent black. One Instagram user commented on @theshaderoom’s post about this issue to express their views on the matter.
Brooke Bruk Jackson, the 21-year-old model who was crowned Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2023 on Saturday, also has a background as a beauty therapist and is originally from the country’s capital, Harare. She pursued her education at Chisipite Senior School in Harare and later earned a college degree from the British Academy of Fashion Design in London. Additionally, she furthered her studies in beauty therapy at the Beauty Therapy Institute in Cape Town, South Africa, as reported by Conan Daily.
Brooke Bruk Jackson expressed her feelings of joy and gratitude in her victory speech, thanking all those who supported her and sent their well-wishes, as reported by Essence. She also shared her aspirations to serve as an example of grace, understanding, and inspiration for young Zimbabweans, with a desire to promote the spirit of ‘ubuntu,’ which is an African ideology that emphasizes people’s connections and relationships with one another.
However, despite her win in the pageant, which marked the end of a 22-year hiatus for the competition and granted her the opportunity to represent Zimbabwe at the upcoming Miss Universe 2023 pageant in November, Brooke Bruk Jackson’s victory has faced criticism. This criticism stems from the fact that she is a white woman winning a pageant intended for an African nation with a population that is over 98 percent black, as reported by Country Reports. The majority of Zimbabwe’s population consists of ethnic Africans, primarily Shona and Ndebele, with a smaller percentage being of mixed race or Asian descent, and less than 1 percent being white. This racial aspect of the pageant has prompted online critics to voice their concerns and opinions about what they perceive as a racial bias in the recent competition.
There were individuals who defended Brooke Bruk Jackson’s victory, asserting that it was well-deserved. They highlighted her exceptional beauty, modeling skills, and ability to answer questions effectively as factors contributing to her win. As part of her victory, Jackson received several prizes, including a cash prize of U.S. $10,000 from Style by Minnie, a sponsored trip to Victoria Falls by the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, a one-year modeling contract with the apparel brand Hilz Couture, and travel accommodations to and from Central America courtesy of Traverse, among other accolades, as reported by The Herald.
Interestingly, the first and second runners-up in the pageant, Amanda Mpofu and Nokutenda Marumbwa, respectively, are both black women. Amanda Mpofu is a model based in Chegutu and a former Miss University of Zambia. It’s worth noting that the previous winner of the Miss Universe Zimbabwe pageant before Brooke Bruk Jackson was Tsungai Muswerakuenda in 2001.
