BEAUTY TALKS::  Maggaly Nguema, Miss International Gabon 2014

Welcome to Missosology! How does it feel that soon, you will be flying to Japan to compete for the Miss International Beauty Pageant?

Thank you!  I am very excited to represent my country Gabon at the Miss International contest .  It’s a great honor for me because I will be the voice and the face that the world will hear and see from Gabon during this contest which will be my first international competition.  It’s with full determination and enthusiasm that I prepare my arrival in Japan this coming October 26th.

Tell us something about your country: the culture, food and environment.

Located in the heart of Africa (central Africa precisely), defined as having one of the highest bio-diversities in the world, my country houses many rare animal species such as leather back turtles, the pogolin and gray parrot.  Gabon is a small country with assets as fauna and flora are well preserved, thus contributing to saving the planet at a time when the global warming gets worrisome.  The Gabonese people live in an amazing multicultural society as the country got more than 60 ethnic groups who live together and coexist together. What excites me most is the strength of our rites and customs, our dances and masks which show the distinction among socio-cultural groups. Being born in the capital named Libreville, I belong to the Fang ethnic group that is one of the most present with a large population. In Gabon, we love good food and our mothers educate us with good flavors coming out of their kitchens. We have many traditional dishes but my favorite is the smoked fish in odika (native chocolate). It’s a sauce that is made from powder of chocolate mixed with fish and savored well with plantains (which is a banana containing high levels of starch and little sugar) or cassava! Miam!!!

Now, please share with us your passion, and the things that you love to do.

It’s during my adolescence that I discovered my passion for singing when I joined the choir at my church. Since then, the song has become more than a hobby, it has become for the shy girl I’ve been, a medium, a channel of communication, my friend in times of loneliness and a bandage for the small wounds of life. On a daily basis, I enjoy spending time with my family, my friends and people whom I love.

What do you think is the best thing of being born in Gabon? Why do you think so?

Being from this great country, the best gift it offers daily to all Gabonese is the peace. Peace because we have never known war so far and I hope that we will never know that. At this moment, my thoughts automatically turn to countries which are facing war. May God be with all those families and children who have been touched by crimes of war.

Is there anything in particular that you wish to accomplish with your participation at Miss International? What is it?

There are so many things I would like to accomplish through my participation at Miss International. Younger, I was shy and introverted, nothing predestined me to a life of a beauty queen; what I would have done greater will be able to give hope to young people, show them that nothing is impossible and every day is a new chance with a new opportunity, to do better than yesterday and move forward.

If you win the Miss International crown, you will be the first African to bring the title to your continent after more than 54 years! Do you think it’s time to crown an African girl? What do you think are your qualities that can make you win?

As years pass, we Africans have been able to show our determination and desire to win international titles. So yes, it’s time for an African to wear the crown of Miss International. It will be the first time and surely not the last. If Angola had won the Miss Universe crown with Leïla Lopez, why Africa would not win the Miss International with me? For this competition, my greatest strengths are patience, dynamism and presence of mind.  I intend to live fully this adventure, participate with love and joy.

If you become the next Miss International, what will you do with the crown and title?

Just like I do with my title of Miss Gabon, I will dedicate my time, my title and my crown of Miss International to the people in need, especially those around me.  I think of leprosy patients whom I have been helping and for whom I have spent my advocacy.  Thanks to them I know the value of happiness, and my highest goal is to do good and help them to maintain hope despite their daily difficulties. / Stephen I. Diaz