Lopes during an interview for CARAS magazine in Lisbon, Portugal, May 21st
The reigning Miss Universe, Leila Lopes from Angola, will embark in a 5-country African tour that will take her to Ghana, Senegal, Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Togo and Nigeria in June.
The Insignia Group, producers of the Miss Universe Ghana competition in partnership with Roberta Annan Consulting, announced the first ever visit to Ghana of a reigning Miss Universe.
This is the first time in 12 years that an African woman has held the title of Miss Universe and the last titleholder was Mpule Kwelagobe, Miss Botswana 1997, who became Miss Universe in 1999. Miss Kwelagobe was the first person to represent Botswana at the Miss Universe pageant, and made history by becoming the first black African woman to win an international pageant.
Miss Universe, as part of her tour of West Africa, will visit the SOS Children’s Villages, in Tema and Asiakwa, making a donation to them and also pay a courtesy call on the Vice President.
She would later launch the 2012 Miss Universe Ghana pageant at an exclusive cocktail reception in Accra, hosted by Miss Yayra Nego, Ghana’s Miss Universe of 2011.
I am glad more African countries are joining Miss Universe
about time for her to do some tour!
Hope more and more African countries will compete Miss Universe 2012!
I love to see Miss Universe doing things for charity and for society… I love Stefania MU 2009, who came to Africa and hug the HIV children, I LOVE MU
Leila Lopes was in South Africa earlier this year and joined the current Miss South Africa in visiting an Aid Centre. It was good seeing them interact with the children.
Natalie Glebova, MU 2005, also visited South Africa during her reign.
Wow! Senegal is back after more than 40 years or so.
And Togo is debuting. The African Continent is well-represented.
Angola
Botswana
Cote d’Ivoire
Egypt
Gabon
Ghana
Mauritius
Namibia
Nigeria
South Africa
Tanzania
–
I hope these nations would come back this year on in the coming years:
Zimbabwe
Zambia
Ethiopia
Swaziland
The Gambia
Morocco
Tunisia
Congo-Kinshasa (Congo, the Democratic Republic of) – formerly Zaire
Congo-Brazzaville (Congo, Republic of)
I said it before, with Angola’s victory and all the winners being from Southern Africa, the following countries should really go back to Miss Universe: Congo/Zaire (bordering Angola), Zambia (bordering Angola and Botswana), Zimbabwe (bordering Botswana and South Aftrica), Mozambique and Swaziland (both bordering South Africa), or maybe even Lesotho (smack in the middle of South Africa).
i also want to see Seychelles, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar Sierra Leone and Rwanda in MU!!!
Miss World was first but MU want to be the same to go Africa
¡¡Que buena noticia y estupendo viaje!! Siempre estuve consciente que MU necesitaba mayor promoción en países africanos y algunos europeos. Estoy seguro que esta gira será muy provechosa. En la foto, Leila, como siempre guapísima y serena.
Yay! Leila’s coming to Ghana! ^_^
Leila Lopes gano cuando africa necesitaba un portavoz que para bien sea..!!
I don’t think there were more than 10 african nations competing in a given edition of MU. Good job promoting MU to the continent!
amazing Welcome Senegal again to miss universe pageant and Welcome Togo to participate in MU for the first time