How Pageants are turning runway into HIV advocacy

The Beauty of Africa international pageantry Kenya main event will happen on December 12, 2025, at KICC. [Courtesy, Baip-Kenya] World Aids Day often arrives with solemn speeches and predictable statistics, but this year a Kenyan pageant injected unexpected urgency and glamour into the conversation. At the Beauty of Africa International Pageant (BAIP), held on 1 December, the catwalk became a platform for public health advocacy as young contestants used fashion, storytelling and performance to challenge stigma around HIV/AIDS. The initiative, driven by Pambazuka Entertainment, recast beauty not as spectacle but as social responsibility. For project manager Felix Otieno, the event's mission was simple yet ambitious: to capture the attention of young Kenyans, particularly those drifting into complacency about a pandemic that still demands vigilance. Otieno said the pageant sought to merge celebration with education, ensuring the day was more than a ceremonial nod to global solidarity. "Pageantry is not just about walking the runway," he said. "It is about service. We want people to understand the realities of HIV and the methods of prevention." His message was underscored by BAIP's long-running theme, "Step Up 4 AIDS: Rise. Run. Raise Awareness," a deliberate call to confront apathy. Otieno noted that despite decades of public health campaigns, misinformation remains widespread, while younger generations assume HIV is either manageable or irrelevant. BAIP's campaign, he said, was intended to jolt them from indifference. "Some people still don't have enough information, and some are simply unwilling to listen," he remarked. By positioning the pageant as a high-profile learning space, organisers hope to bridge a widening knowledge gap and encourage communities to speak openly about transmission, treatment and the lived realities of people affected. The project manager stressed that the campaign targeted both those living with HIV and those who mistakenly believe the virus no longer poses a significant threat. He said Generation Z, in particular, had become dangerously casual about the virus. "Gen Z today don't worry about HIV and disregard it," he observed. "We are here to remind them that it is real, and they must be cautious." The programme also highlighted the need to eliminate stigma and ensure people living with HIV are neither isolated nor discriminated against. Medical guidance The Beauty of Africa international pageantry Kenya main event will happen on December 12, 2025, at KICC. [Courtesy, Baip-Kenya] Medical guidance shared during the campaign reiterated the established modes of transmission: sexual contact, sharing needles, exposure to infected blood, and parent-to-child transmission during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. Otieno said BAIP's educational model was built to embed such information into the minds of young Kenyans. Contestants, he explained, are assessed not only on poise but also on leadership potential and their ability to communicate effectively. Finalists attend training sessions and boot camps designed to equip them as ambassadors of public health. BAIP's efforts have not been without challenges. While the World AIDS Day activities proceeded smoothly, Otieno recalled the difficulty of similar campaigns, such as their World Cancer Day outreach, where contestants or their families were directly affected by illness. Such moments, he said, underscored the emotional toll these initiatives can carry. Yet the motivation remained unwavering: to ensure the public understands that HIV is still present, still dangerous and still preventable through informed choices and consistent testing. Among this year's finalists was Mureithi Jules Gatugi, a young doctor whose passion for HIV awareness began shortly after secondary school. She described her selection as "a vision realised" and used her platform to stress the value of regular testing. "If you are living with HIV, it is okay. If not, know your status," she said. Gatugi and other contestants emphasised prevention through safe sex, distributing free condoms in university washrooms and restaurants to ensure accessibility for students. Gatugi said she hopes to collaborate with hospitals nationwide, noting that modern diagnostics make testing fast and accessible. She highlighted the effectiveness of antiretroviral treatment and urged the public to embrace early testing rather than fear it. Drawing on her earlier experience in community theatre projects focused on HIV education, she said her medical training had strengthened her commitment to reaching young people who may never have been exposed to accurate information about the disease. BAIP Kenya 2025 organisers are preparing for a dramatic awareness event in collaboration with the Kenyatta International Convention Centre: a run up the 31 floors to the KICC helipad under the banner "Challenge Up". The race is intended to symbolise collective determination and the upward fight against HIV/AIDS. The pageant's finale is scheduled for 12 December, marking the culmination of months of advocacy, training and community engagement. Organisers say the momentum generated this year will drive even stronger outreach in future editions across Kenya.

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