How Cameroon's First Lady Honoured Miss Cameroon 2015

Jessica Lydie Ngoua: Miss Cameroon 2015

The 2015 Miss Cameroon contest ended at weekend in fanfare and ecstasy. This is so thanks to the presence of the First Lady Madame Chantal Biya who was personally present. The Bamenda Congress Hall was jammed to capacity and the euphoria escalated when Jessica Lydie Ngoua Nseme was voted as the most beautiful girl in Cameroon this year. The 24-year-old lady from the Littoral Region was crowned Miss Cameroon 2015 on July 11, 2015 at the Yaounde Conference Centre in the presence of the number one beauty icon in the country, Cameroon’s First Lady, Mrs Chantal Biya.

Mrs Chantal Biya, who is also UNAIDS Special Ambassador, braved the windy and chilly atmospheric conditions that prevailed around the Yaounde Conference Centre that evening to show the value she attaches towards the culture and youths in Cameroon, particularly young girls.

After a competition that involved over 24 beauty queens from all the ten regions in the country, the one-metre-80 cm tall student from the University of Douala had one of the most outstanding moments in her life when she was crowned Miss Cameroon 2015 by the first beauty icon in the country; Mrs Chantal Biya. In smiles and warm embrace, Mrs Chantal Biya wore the sash of Miss Cameroon on Jessica Lydie Ngoua Nseme alongside the crown.

It takes a woman with a committed and passionate heart for culture and the progress for the younger generation to be out of her bed at 1:00 a.m. Such is the nature of Cameroon’s First Lady. Reason why it was not surprising to see Mrs Chantal Biya and some of her family members, including her daughter, Anasthasie Brenda Biya, at the Yaounde Conference Centre during the early hours of Sunday July 12, 2015.

The activities of Cameroon’s First Lady are far beyond humanitarian to the projection of Cameroon’s culture and self development of young people in the country. Four months ago, Mrs Chantal Biya honoured musicians in Cameroon with her presence at the 2015 music award dubbed Canal D’or. During the event which involved a rich display of Cameroon’s culture and music, Mrs Biya was honoured with a prize for her relentless efforts in supporting and projecting the culture of Cameroon.

Although the world is seeing more of the First Lady’s support in cultural events, the Matron of the 11th edition of Miss Cameroon Beauty Contest; Mrs Henriette Sournac, said Mrs Biya’s humanitarian activities towards vulnerable people in the society cannot be over emphasized.

Through organisations she founded such as the Circle of Friends of Cameroon (CERAC), African Synergy Against HIV and Suffering, and the Chantal Biya International Reference Centre for Research on Prevention and Management (CIRCB), Chantal Biya, who is also UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education and Social Inclusion continues to reach out to millions of needy people in Cameroon, Africa and beyond.

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