Women activists have come out to condemn the new tourism strategy launched state minister of tourism Godfrey Kiwanda to adopt curvy women as tourism attractions.
Led by the Executive Director of the Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET) Rita Aciro, the women activists argue that the strategy demeans women in the country and therefore asked the minister to apologise and even voluntarily resign from office.
Tourism minister Godfrey Kiwanda both amused and shocked Ugandans in equal measure as he named Uganda’s ‘curvy’ women among the amazing sights tourists can expect to look at among the country’s tourist attractions.
Kiwanda, who was at Mestil hotel where he launched the Miss Curvy pageant, noted that Ugandan women are endowed with unique curves which need to be celebrated globally.
“The launch of the Miss Curvy Beauty pageant, aims at recognizing and celebrating what Uganda has and these are curvaceousness of Ugandan women “narrated kiwanda .
The statement didn’t amuse women activists including parliamentarian who demanded an apology from the minister for demeaning Ugandan women.
Winnie Kiiza, the woman of parliament of Kasese district, wondered how Kiwanda is planning to package the so called tourist attraction.
“Is Kiwanda going to put the curvy women in cages or is he going to assemble them in national parks strategically for tourists?” Kiiza asked.
UWONET’s Rita Aciro advised the tourism minister to resign from his position since he doesn’t know the things that attracts tourist.
She said it is absurd that a leader of Kiwanda’s caliber could reveal to the world how perverted his mind is and think women are objects to be exploited for commercial gain.
Aciro concluded, “By the time you become a leader, people take you to be knowledgeable but Kiwanda doesn’t know want attracts tourisms yet he is the minister? Surely he needs to resign.”
