A Letterkenny based A&E doctor is swapping her scrubs for gowns as she competes in the Miss/Mrs Africa UK pageant.

Dineo Moiloa-Murphy, a native of South Africa, was selected as a finalist for the empowering competition for African women in Ireland and the UK.

Dr Moiloa is a Specialist Emergency Physician at Letterkenny University Hospital. By entering the pageant, she wanted to celebrate her heritage as well as her individuality, talents and passions.

She said: “My empowering and purposeful pageant journey began earlier this year, and its ripple effects will continue beyond the competition. This is a journey along with other beautiful, sophisticated women from all over the UK & Ireland. Once selected, the finalists attend virtual workshops to help them prepare for the journey ahead.”

The Mrs/Miss Africa platform and competition was created for African women, aged 30+ based in the UK & Ireland. There was a record number of entries for the pageant this year, with finalists becoming ambassadors for the “Africa UK Pageants and Women Empowerment Programme”.

This isn’t a standard beauty pageant, Dineo said: “Miss/Mrs Africa UK does away with the unrealistic ideals that do not represent or resonate with the day-to-day experiences of real women, but instead showcases true beauty that shines from within. It celebrates every woman in her uniqueness.​”

Dr Dineo Moiloa-Murphy

“The platform promotes more than just physical appearance, but incorporates the wholesomeness (all sizes, shapes, heights, etc.) of a woman and important attributes such as character, vocational impact in the community and role modelling, especially related to issues such as mental health and girls/women empowerment. Gone are the stereotypes that do not match the modern women, those of beauties bearing the burden of a crown placed upon their heads while diminishing the power of their womanhood to the stigma of unattainable beauty.

“Through the Miss/Mrs Africa UK pageant journey, women get the opportunity to harness their niche talents, gifts and passions. They find themselves again and learn that they are never too old to follow their dreams and become voices of change.”

Dineo will be preparing for the crowning event later this year, but before that, she’ll be celebrating Africa Day on May 25th!

Best of luck Dineo!