Miss Rwanda gets grand welcome

When the reigning Miss Rwanda, Aurore Umutesi Kayibanda, returned from Congo Brazzaville as Miss FESPAM (Pan African Music Festival), on Sunday evening, no one was happier than the Ministry of Culture and Sports, (MINISPOC), who with the help of other stakeholders financed her trip to the central African country. Umutesi was full of smiles at the MINISPOC sponsored home-coming party at Sports View hotel on Monday evening.The 21-year-old Mutesi beat 60 other beauty queens from different African countries to emerge Miss FESPAM 2013. “I am happy to be welcomed home with such honour and I thank God and everyone who prayed for me to win this crown. I also thank Rwandans in Congo Brazzaville for their support during the competition,” she said.The second year civil engineering student at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) also spoke of her gratitude to Patrick Muhire, a local fashion designer, who designed her outfits for the competition. Umutesi has promised to use her crown to promote the country. “When I was crowned Miss Rwanda, I promised to do all my best whenever I’d be called to represent my country and I am happy that I am doing so,” she said. The Minister of Sports and Culture Protais Mitali was the chief guest at the event.In his remarks, Mitali applauded Miss Rwanda for winning the Miss FESPAM title: “Our country has won many trophies but her victory reminded me of all the accolades we’ve brought home.”“Umutesi’s victory doesn’t only go to herself and her family but its national glory and we expect her predecessors to do the same. We shall continue to support you in all your endeavours and I would like to thank your handlers, and Gakondo group for the work well done in promoting our culture,” he added.The head of Tourism and Conservation at Rwanda Development Board, Rica Rwigamba, was also present at the event. She pledged that RDB will continue to support Miss Rwanda’s activities in order to keep Rwanda’s culture and tradition alive. The Panafrican Festival of Music (FESPAM) is an annual cultural exchange festival that takes place in Brazzaville in Congo/Brazzaville. Umutesi will reign as Miss FESPAM until 2015. Among her responsibilities will be to represent Africa for two years while she still carries the crown of Miss FESPAM; she will also act as the African ambassador as well as FESPAM ambassador during that period.The sublime is also expected to represent Rwanda at the Miss World pageant scheduled for September 2013 in Jakarta and Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia.

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Miss Rwanda gets grand welcome