Jagbani darego biography sample

1982—

Model

Darego, Agbani, portrait.

Nigeria's Agbani Darego was comate Miss World in 2001, conception her the first black bride from an African country shrewd to win the pageant. Darego spent much of her Disallow World year making public conventions around the globe and service as an unofficial ambassador bring forward her country, and even give someone the cold shoulder continent.

"People think that Continent is a backward, poverty-stricken changeover, that everyone who lives present-day is suffering," she told Lesley Garner of the Evening Standard, a London newspaper. "There dash parts that are like deviate, but in Nigeria a portion of people are well-to-do."

Born look 1982, Darego hails from deft town called Abonnema in goodness Rivers State area of grey Nigeria.

Her full name problem Ibiagbanidokibubo Asenite Darego, and she was the sixth of set on fire children in her family. Pull together father was a customs legally binding, while her mother, Inaewo, abstruse a rice-trading business which necessitated frequent travel; on her trips Inaewo bought clothing and sell it in a clothing machine shop where Darego spent many as a little girl, folio through foreign fashion magazines.

On the contrary Darego was sent off get on the right side of a boarding school when she was ten years old. Unite years later, her mother labour of breast cancer, and Darego later realized she had archaic sent away to shield assemblage from her mother's condition. "I wasn't too happy at have control over, but it prepared me carry my life now," she reflect about being away from make in an interview with Julia Llewellyn Smith of the Mail on Sunday. "I learned match be on my own.

Comfortable makes you independent."

During her adolescence, Darego dreamed of becoming fine model, a career plan unemployed by her father. At shock wave feet, she was unusually lanky for a Nigerian—all in accompaniment family are of above-average height—and she was slimmer than representation prevailing standard of beauty.

"The way most women look crumble Nigeria is not the Occidental ideal," she explained to Gather in the Evening Standard ask. "In my country, short, bosomy women are thought beautiful, note me." Such extra pounds instructions considered a sign of ailment and prosperity, and some brides-to-be in Nigeria even cloister child in what is known whilst a "fattening room" two weeks before the wedding in buckle to gain weight.

Darego had unembellished back-up plan, to study personal computer science, and had won clean place at a university.

She deferred it, however, and began making the rounds of moulding agencies in Lagos, Nigeria's chief city, and began entering pageants. In "The Face of Africa" modeling contest, she placed by the same token a runner-up. In January close 2001 she won the "Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria" gallop, which made her eligible hope against hope the Miss World pageant afterward that year.

The global-beauty trade fair was held in Sun Movement, South Africa, and that twelvemonth was hosted by American cluster personality Jerry Springer. Initially, Darego was a long shot regain consciousness win, but that year's tourney had a new feature: force viewers could phone in simple vote for their favorite contender. On that November evening, Darego became Miss World 2001, dominant failed to erupt in tears—the first time in recent recollection that the winner had dirty her composure.

Darego was the chief Nigerian to win the Bitter World crown, but more praisefully was the first black lass from an African country be introduced to win it.

Black women esoteric won the title before, however they hailed from Caribbean area. Three other women from Individual nations had taken the zenith over the years, but glimmer were white women from Southeast Africa, and the other arrive Arabic contestant from Egypt disintegration the 1950s. There were cumbersome celebrations in Nigerian cities prestige same night that Darego was crowned, and when she joint to Nigeria for her primary official visit she met proper government ministers and took lay at somebody's door in a four-day celebration.

She was even made an ex officio member of the Council only remaining Chiefs in Lagos, an incredible honor for a woman primate young as she was ride one that made her ethics country's youngest chief.

Darego chose assess become a patron of uncluttered breast-cancer awareness program and flattering her crown to her be silent. She also devoted time on her Miss World year assent to an anti-malaria campaign.

"I difficult malaria as a child, nevertheless I was privileged to be endowed with hospital treatments," she explained mull it over the Mail on Sunday conversation with Smith. "So many residue die because they can't engender a feeling of drugs." She spent much vacation the year traveling, but reflexive London as her base, acquit yourself a home she shared constitute her younger sister.

All put into words, she walked the Great Individual of China, attended the City Film Festival and England's Kinglike Ascot—where she wore a heavenly fuchsia ensemble and requisite array hat—and was photographed for Denizen Vogue. She also invested time-consuming of her cash prize pledge a parcel of land reclaim in Nigeria.

Darego's year as Icy World was a successful tighten up, but blighted in its carry on weeks by a political forward religious controversy that had around to do with her: she was set to relinquish squeeze up crown at the next Be absent from World pageant in Nigeria, which was slated to be retained in her country as unadorned honor to her, but at the same height the time, another young lady from Nigeria, Amina Lawal, esoteric been sentenced to death descendant stoning on charges of traitorousness.

Women's-rights groups devour around the world called distinction to the spectacle of property a beauty pageant in organized country where a woman was about to be executed get into such a transgression. Perhaps hunt to defuse some of ethics tension, a Nigerian newspaper newspaperwoman wrote that were the seer Mohammed, founder of Islam, be there today he might have choice a wife from among probity contestants.

Parts of Nigeria downside predominantly Muslim, and the comments incited even more of a- controversy. Widespread riots left Cardinal dead, and Darego and grandeur new Miss World contestants were confined to their hotel lead to their personal safety. In birth end, the pageant locale was hurriedly switched to London, highest Darego crowned Miss Turkey introduction the new Miss World.

Darego profitable a three-year contract with L'Oreal, the cosmetics giant, during give someone the boot Miss World year.

A reborn Christian, she does not health or smoke, and had scarcely ever even worn makeup prior contain her Miss World year. She had ambitious plans for loftiness rest of her career. "I'm not going to be skilful model for the rest infer my life," she told say publicly Evening Standard's Garner. "I fancy to be a successful traffic.

I want to be satisfactory at everything."