" AFRICAN QUEEN"

AGBANI DAREGO

Africa as we all know is blessed with talented people. For example, My country Nigeria, is rich in culture, talented
movie stars, musicians, comedians, broadcasters, fashion designers, models ministers of the gospel, and many others to mentioned but a few. This Blog will be featuring these talented people.. so please watch out.....

Back to the business of the day!!!!!

In Nigeria, we have so many African Queen.. But my no 1 is:

AGBANI DAREGO.

Ibiagbanidokibubo 'Agbani' Asenite Darego (born 1983), is a Nigerian model, best known for being the first black African to be crowned Miss World in 2001.arego hails from Abonnema, Rivers, and was born into a family of eight children. At ten, Darego was sent to boarding school in a bid to shield her from her mother who had breast cancer. Darego's mother died two years later, and her daughter has spoken of how the loss prepared her for the future.

As a teenager, Darego longed to be a model. Although her conservative father was against the idea, she entered the M-Net Face of Africa modeling competition, but failed to make it past the first round.^[1] She achieved greater success when she was crowned Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria in 2001. Contrary to popular belief, Darego did not replace Valerie Peterside after the latter was dethroned - Peterside had won Miss Nigeria. Darego managed to divide her time between her official duties with her education at the University of Port Harcourt where she was studying Computer Science, and she represented Nigeria in the 2001 Miss Universe competition, held in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. She placed among the top 10 semi-finalists, finishing seventh. She was the only black semi-finalist that year - and the only finalist to wear a maillot swimsuit.^[2]

Miss World

In November 2001, Darego traveled to South Africa to compete in the Miss World competition, beating Miss Scotland and Miss Aruba in the final round. Her victory in the pageant, hosted by American talk show host Jerry Springer, was widely welcomed in her home country, and her reign as MBGN was continued by Ann Suinner.

Her one year tenure included goodwill trips and scheduled appearances on behalf of the pageant. In addition, the organizers of the competition began preparations to host Miss World 2002 in Nigeria.

One week before the 2002 pageant, violence erupted in Kaduna and other cities in northern Nigeria after small protests against the competition inflamed simmering religious tension between Muslims and Christians. Several hundred died in the violence that ensued. The 2002 Miss World competition was moved from Nigeria to the United Kingdom, where it was staged in London that December.

Post-pageant career

Darego left the University of Port Harcourt after her reign as Miss World ended in 2002. She is signed to Next Model Management, and is currently pursuing a modelling career in Europe. She has mode

lled for L'Oréal cosmetics.

RECENT:

An exciting new Pan-African Reality TV show – STYLOGENIC is set to propel African fashion and those that aspire to join the industry to greater heights.

STYLOGENIC is a show like no other. Rather than being based on the search for a top model or designer or stylist, the show is based around the concept of a style team! So contestants are going to be grouped in teams consisting of the various ‘style elements’. That is a model, designer, stylist, makeup artist, photographer and model. They will compete as a team and will battle it out with fellow teams for the grand prize!New style-focused Pan-African Reality TV Show hosted by former Miss World, Agbani Darego set to air this summer.


Entries for the show will open soon and entries will be accepted from all eligible Africans based on the continent and in Diaspora. The show will begin airing in September 2010.

Prizes are yet to be revealed but from what we hear, it’s MAJOR!

It promises to be an immensely exciting show!

WELCOME BACK READERS:

In 2006, a catwalk model believed to be Darego posed topless at a fashion show causing outrage in Nigeria.Darego has made no comment. Anyway, no one can really say how true the story was, but on my own opinion she shouldn't have but I just can't judge her, maybe something went wrong, or maybe she was just doing her job who knows, so what's your opinion? should a model go nude if need be?????/