BY FARAI MUTSAKA
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A glittering crown on her head and a bouquet of flowers in her hands, Andreia Solange Sicato Muhitu beamed at being named the co-winner of the inaugural Mr. and Miss Albinism Southern Africa pageant.
The 28-year-old Angolan model has competed in beauty pageants in her home country since her teens and won some of them. But none made her feel more beautiful or purposeful as the pageant for people with albinism that was held this month in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.
“I can be that inspiration for young girls, especially those with albinism, to feel comfortable and beautiful in their own skin,” Muhitu said. “That is the strong message we are hoping to send out there.”
Albinism, an inherited genetic condition that reduces melanin pigment production, is “still profoundly misunderstood,” according to the U.N. human rights agency. People with the condition have pale-colored skin,
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