Dar es Salaam, April 27 -- TANZANIA: IN the world of Tanzanian pageantry, one name rises higher than a contestant in high heeled shoes on a shaky runway: Hashim Ibrahim Lundenga.

Or as we all knew him, Anko Hashim.

A man whose life was stitched together by passion, persistence and panache.

He wasnt just the godfather of beauty queens — he was a queenmaker, wardrobe curator, stage builder, etiquette coach, counsellor and when necessary, a master of “weka hiyo khanga vizuri watoto wa kiume wasione ndani.”

But Uncle Hashim wasnt born on a catwalk or inside a boutique. No sir. He came from Kidatu, Ifakara, in Morogoro, born on May 21, 1956.

Like many Tanzanians of his generation, he began life humbly, starting school in...