- Agbani Darego
Ibiagbanidokibubo 'Agbani' Asenite Darego (born 1983), won the
Miss World title in 2001.Pre Miss World
Darego 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 wonMiss Nigeria . Before MBGN, Darego had participated in the "Face of Africa" modelling competition, but failed to make it past the first round. While a first-year student of the University of Port Harcourt, she representedNigeria in the 2001Miss Universe competition, held inBayamon ,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 amaillot swimsuit.Miss World
In November 2001, Darego traveled to
South Africa to compete in theMiss World competition, beating Miss Scotland and Miss Aruba in the final round to become the first black African winner of the title. Her victory in the pageant, hosted by American talk show hostJerry Springer , was widely welcomed in her home country.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 the 2002 finals in Nigeria, as the pageant is often held in the winner's home country the subsequent year.
One week before the 2002 pageant, riots erupted in
Kaduna (source required) 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 modelled forL'Oreal cosmetics.External links
*
*http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1661191.stm BBC article about the 2001 competition
*http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2513341.stm BBC article about the 2002 Miss World riots
* [http://bellanaija.blogspot.com/2006/07/agbani-in-essence.html Agbani photospread in Essence Magazine 2006]
* [http://www.nextmodelsusa.com/next_portfolio.php?id=151 Agbani Next Model Management Portfolio]Big Four Pageants titleholders
Year=2001
Miss Universe=flagicon|Puerto RicoDenise Quiñones
Miss World=flagicon|Nigeria Agbani Darego
Miss Earth=flagicon|DenmarkCatharina Svensson
Miss International=flagicon|PolandMałgorzata Rożniecka
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