By: Hassan Osman Kargbo
Fatima Kamara, a student from the Faculty of Communication, Media and Information Studies formally known as Mass Communications at Fourah Bay College (FBC), University of Sierra Leone, has won the AYV miss University beauty pageant show 2023/24 year.
This all important pageantry show took place last Friday 26 April 2024 at the Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel, Aberdeen, and Freetown.
Before this year’s AYV miss University show while talking to Premier News, Fatima was very optimistic about bringing the 2024 Miss University trophy to FBC despite the fact that she would be contesting against other comparably attractive models.
Fatima from FBC wins herself a brand new Suzuki Swift Car. As the crowned AYV Miss University, she will be representing Sierra Leone at the global stage in Miss University Africa Pageant and has secured herself a year’s work placement at the AYV Media Empire.
During the events, nine finalists were announced at the beginning of Friday night’s proceedings but Fatima wins the crown, leaving Sheknatu Bangura of the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) winning First Runner-Up and Amzartu Kadiatu Conteh, also of the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) another Runner-Up award.
Miss University, which was first held in 2011, aims at bringing together contestants from each of the universities in Sierra Leone with the vision of selecting a University Queen.
This year’s show is themed: ‘Beauty for Change: Unity. Dignity. Entrepreneurship’
Speaking to the media before the show, Fatima said, not only her passion for modelling but also her dedication to the arts would make her bring the trophy to FBC. “A lot of preparations had been made towards this forthcoming competition, including rehearsals among other things. FBC community, this fight is for us all! So I am encouraging every one of you to come on board and support this process in your own little ways. Giving me this opportunity to represent the college is as a result of what you saw me do during the just concluded Miss FBC Pageant competition. So, come in numbers on the day of the show. Your presence is very important. Together with you, I will bring this trophy home,” Kamara said.
The 23-year Kamara explained that beauty pageantry is not just a hobby for her. She said that the art contains many different values that women could learn from and use to complement themselves in their careers in the future. She said, “From competing, a beauty pageant can give girls additional skills that they can use in their life growing up; give them more confidence, develop social skills, poise and personality.”
Kamara started a career as a model when she was in her teens having been inspired by her then colleagues in High School. “While I was in SSS1, I together with some of my colleagues used to attend Beauty Pageantry shows. Many a time, people would tell me that I would be a very good pageant competitor if I would go into the art. They told me that I had the structure and the potential. So I had to go into the art. Here I am today,” she explained happily.
Kamara thanked her family, friends and fans for making her dream a reality. She said, “Fortunately for me, I am from a family which always believes in supporting talents. I lost my mother before I could start my pageantry career, so my father was always there for me. He is the backbone of my career. My father always advises me not to relent but to follow my dreams and pursue them. I am very happy that he is always by my side. Thank you Dad,” she acknowledged contentedly.
