The winner will represent Cape Verde at Miss Universe, scheduled for November in Puerto Rico.
This year, for the first time, Cape Verde will have a casting to elect the official representative in the Miss Universe contest. The announcement was made this Tuesday, the 24th, by the former Miss Africa USA, Nereida Lobo, who has acquired the franchise and is now the national director of the platform.
For Nereida Lobo, the arrival of Miss Universe in Cape Verde is “a historic moment” and an important step for the country's international promotion.
Born in Brava, more specifically in Lomba Tantum, she stressed that her personal trajectory inspired the work she has been doing over the last few years.
She grew up on the flower island from where she emigrated to the United States when she was just 12 years old. “I remember a lot about my childhood experiences, including the difficulties I faced, which shaped the woman I am today,” she said, recalling that she used to go to school with notebooks and pencils carried in a plastic bag, her backpack.
This experience later led to the creation of the non-governmental organization Little Crowns Foundation, which provides school supplies to underprivileged children in several African countries.
According to Nereida Lobo, the foundation has already developed actions in Cape Verde, Ghana, Nigeria and Ethiopia, and has also participated in the renovation of three schools in Ghana, where it is preparing to launch its first school.
Nereida Lobo's experience in beauty contests came in 2016, when she took part in Miss Africa USA to represent her home country and won the crown. She explained that she used the platform to defend quality education and promote social causes.
“My life changed completely,” she says of this experience, which ended up opening doors, giving her visibility and inspiring the creation of the Miss Cape Verde International pageant, with the slogan “Beauty with Impact”, since in addition to the crown, Nereida Lobo argues that a miss should have an impact on people's lives. Through this pageant, Cape Verde began to make its presence felt on international stages.
In 2022, the country took part in Miss International for the first time, in Japan, where Cape Verdean Stephany Amado won the title of First Lady (2nd place), becoming the first African to achieve this distinction. The following year, Cape Verdean Akysanna da Veiga was elected Miss Africa International 2024, also in Japan.
Based on this journey, Nereida Lobo has now announced a new stage: obtaining the Miss Universe franchise for Cape Verde, taking on the role of national director.
“We took on this responsibility with a clear purpose: use Miss Universe Cape Verde as a tool to promote the country internationally, to increase the country's visibility and promote our tourism, culture and morabeza”He went on to say that the budget for the project is around 15,000 escudos (150,000 dollars) and the competition has partners, but the organization is open to more partnerships in Cape Verde and the diaspora.
Registration open for Cape Verdean Women's Day
Entries for Miss Universe Cape Verde open on March 27, the date marked as Cape Verdean Women's Day.
In terms of requirements, this time women of Cape Verdean nationality aged 18 and over can take part, regardless of their marital status or whether they have children and reside in the country.
When asked whether a command of the Cape Verdean language is a requirement, Nereida Lobo explained that it is necessary to be able to express yourself in English, Portuguese and Creole.
It should be remembered that the model of Cape Verdean origin and Cape Verde's first representative in the Miss Universe contest, Prissy Gomes, was the target of several attacks on social media, also because of her accent, and even called for an end to the cyberbullying she was subjected to both during and after the contest.
The selection process includes an initial casting phase, from which 40 candidates will be chosen for voting by the jury and the public. Afterwards, those selected will take part in a two-week training course in personal development, catwalk, communication, culture and the English language.
Cape Verde's representative must be chosen by August 17. The winner will represent Cape Verde at Miss Universe, scheduled for November in Puerto Rico. The runner-up, the first lady, will represent Cape Verde at Miss International in Japan.
The project has the Cape Verde Tourism Institute as a strategic partner, reinforcing the country's international promotion. For Nereida Lobo, the competition goes beyond aesthetics.
“Miss Universe is a platform that celebrates beauty with impact, leadership and empowerment. We want to show Cape Verdean women, our culture and our morabeza to the world,” she concluded.
“I'll end with a message for young Cape Verdean women and men: I, Nereida Lobo, proudly come from Lomba Tontum, a place where a lot of fish comes to Praia, and I still remember helping my grandmother to get the fish. Today I'm here to lead one of the biggest platforms in the world in our country. This is proof that anything is possible, you just have to believe, have faith, be persistent and chase your dream. What was once my dream has today become an opportunity for other young Cape Verdean women”.
Source: Balai News