Iman Tadu Crowned Miss Pride of Africa UK 2025/26

Women’s rights advocate Iman Tadu has been crowned Queen of Miss Pride of Africa UK 2025/26 following a vibrant finale in London last week. The pageant celebrates African beauty, talent, heritage, and leadership among young women in the United Kingdom, aiming to groom participants into leaders who can impact communities across Africa, the UK, and globally.

Tadu described the moment her name was announced as surreal. “All I could think about was the love and support of everyone who made it possible for me to be on that stage. It was not just a win for me, it was a win for Zimbabwe,” she said.

Her journey into pageantry began unexpectedly while coordinating fashion events with LadyBoss Events, where she met the Miss Pride of Africa UK CEO. Despite having no prior pageant experience, Tadu was encouraged to audition and was drawn to the charitable and purposeful mission of the organisation.

“I only knew the glitz and glamour of the crowns, but once I saw the purpose behind it, something changed,” Tadu explained. Stepping into the audition room surrounded by young African women championing their heritage, she felt an immediate sense of belonging.

Tadu cited the technical demands of the competition and overcoming self-doubt as her biggest challenges. She credited her Christian faith for guiding her through insecurity. “I had to realise my beauty shines because I was chosen by God to be a vessel for His love and glory. Once I embraced that, everything changed.”

Born in Zimbabwe and raised in a Zimbabwean household in the UK, Tadu’s identity remains central to her character and leadership. “Being Zimbabwean is something I could never run away from. My values, integrity, and respect come from how I was raised. My pageant identity is rooted in the culture that calls me a Chihera, I was born to lead.” She hopes her story inspires young girls back home: “You were born with a crown on your head. You are the future, and the future is unstoppable. You are a queen born to rise.”

As Queen, Tadu plans to focus on youth empowerment, addressing challenges Zimbabwean youth face in a struggling economy. She is developing mentorship, networking, and entrepreneurial programmes hosted in national museums and galleries. “These spaces hold our history, but they shouldn’t be static. They can be hubs for innovation, growth, and cultural pride,” she said.

Beyond pageantry, Tadu is a filmmaker, women’s rights advocate, and ambassador for Gurltalk. She works at a national museum, engaging UK officials on youth employment and community engagement. She also volunteers at the Black Cultural Archives and has initiated projects to support Black students, including founding the first Black Students Career Fair and coordinating Afroshow, celebrating African fashion and music.

Tadu intends to measure her reign by the personal impact she creates. “I want to know I made a genuine commitment to change. I want to build trust with the people I work with,” she said. Looking forward, she envisions promoting global recognition for Zimbabwean creatives by connecting governments, institutions, and philanthropists to artistic initiatives. “I want Zimbabwean art to be a global conversation. We have the power to shake the world.”

In her message to Zimbabweans at home and abroad, Tadu emphasised that Miss Pride of Africa UK is a “pageant with a heart of charity and a soul of female empowerment. It is highly competitive, promoting beauty, African unity, talent, heritage, and culture. It is not only about beauty; it is beauty with a purpose.”