Uganda Tourism: Campaign objectifying women to attract tourists faces backlash

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Anger is simmering over Uganda's use of women to promote tourism with a Miss Curvy Beauty Pageant. Activists are furious and say the government shouldn't be objectifying women. CGTN's Hillary Ayesiga reports.

A campaign to promote Uganda's tourism. This time round, not wildlife attractions but Uganda's curvy women. And Uganda's Tourism ministry has indicated that they want to adopt this strategy.

ANN MUNGOMA CEO, MISS CURVY UGANDA "World over it has been known that Ethiopia has one of the most beautiful women in the world. What is wrong if the state minister for tourism tells the world that Uganda has exceptional people."

But this has caused an uproar. A petition to have the contest stopped has gained over one thousand five hundred signatures online.

PRIMROSE MURUNGI PETITIONER "We are calling for the Honorable minister Kiwanda to offer an apology to the public and to cancel the pageant because it has already sent out a wrong message to young girls, women everywhere that if a tourist has enough money he will come and pay for your goods, look at you and touch you."

And the debate is raging on Kampala's streets.

SARAH BIRETE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER "We are calling upon cabinet to clarify to Ugandans whether they have changed their tourism policy from marketing their natural tourist attractions or to sex tourism in this country."

CAROL FLOWER TV HOST "I do not think people should take it as a bad thing or women being seen as sex objects instead they should welcome it and encourage every woman out there to be proud of how they look instead of taking all these drugs to be small and they end up damaging their own organs."

RAYMOND SSEKANDI JOURNALIST "I don't think its the best way for us to attract tourists or to promote tourism in Uganda, so I'm against it for starters. I feel it is very disrespectful to women."

The Ugandan government earns over 1.4 billion dollars annually from tourism alone. And to keep this income flowing, they are designing various strategies to entice tourists.

HILLARY AYESIGA KAMPALA, UGANDA "South Africa and Kenya have held similar pageants in the past which lead to Uganda introducing the miss Curvy pageant to showcase the beauty of an African woman. But the outcry from human rights defenders has been how the government's promoting it as a tourist attraction. They say the contest should instead focus on promoting women's rights."