An Angolan beauty pageant empowers women and draw attention to a common plight.

The Angolan Civil War, which formally ended in 2002 after 27 years of the strife that followed Portuguese occupation, left the country torn, impoverished, and littered with live landmines. The Miss Landmine pageant aims to bring attention to this reality, as well as empower women and the disabled alike. In addition, the event has the clear goal of redefining the popular notion of beauty in the country and globally.

The event is very interesting to read about, and worth forwarding on to friends who might be interested in such a powerful effort.

It is definitely worth reading more about the Angolan conflict; it was a complicated and tragic war. In many ways, the Angolan war was a proxy war between the USA and the communist bloc, which received aid from Cuba and the former Soviet Union. Diamonds and oil were also huge motivating factors for conflict, the illegal trade of which supported the warring factions as the years went on. Movies such as Blood Diamond have brought some attention to this col reality lately.

To learn more about Angola, the relevant geography of the area, and the war, check out these articles on Cabinda, Blood Diamonds, and the MPLA.