Cynthia Olajumoke Sapara, an undergraduate of Chemical Engineering at the Alberta University, Canada, was one of the runners-up at the just-concluded Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) pageant in Calabar on October 24. Sapara combines beauty with brain. A close encounter with the young model offers a glimpse into her brilliance and the passion to make a mark in the dynamic world of beauty and the catwalk. In this interview with KEHINDE OLULEYE and OREOLUWA OJO, she speaks about her career, family and foray into the fashion world, and the importance of being morally upright as an attribute of a beauty queen.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I hail from Lagos. My dad is from Isale-Eko campus. I’m from a family of six, including my parents and my three siblings. I’m the second (child) and the first girl, so it’s a lot of passion for me. I left Nigeria when I was 12, went to college in Manchester in the United Kingdom and also went to university (Alberta University) in Canada. I always represented my school for a lot of conference talks. I have met Queen Elizabeth before and the minister for education.
For some time, you have been in the news and accused of showing off your diction. Is that how you talk or you learnt to speak that way because of the pageant?
I was not ‘forming’ because during the pageant, I lost my voice and I had cough, so my voice changed. So whenever I was talking, I sounded more like a kid and my voice was not very clear.
It is very difficult for me when speaking in Nigeria because people would think I’m faking it. But I guess it is something that shouldn’t be focused on because I wasn’t faking. That is how I talk with my parents and my friends.
Why is cyber-bullying your project focus?
Initially that was not my project focus. When I saw the pageant, my main focus was to reduce the mortality rate in Nigeria. Cyber-bullying is so bad that it gives false information about someone.
Are you a victim or is anyone close to you a victim?
Yes, I have been a victim – when I was in high school in UK. My first year in UK was pretty difficult because on my first day in school, a lot of people asked: how did you know how to speak English? Because they believe I’m from Africa. And they were like ‘are you from the jungle or living in the jungle?’ But it was really difficult to communicate. But funny enough, I never called my parents that I was being bullied because I saw it as one of those things in life. You have to go through challenges and that makes you stronger.
You represented Edo State in MBGN 2015 and some people said you are from Anambra State. Are you originally from Edo State?
I loved representing Edo State in MBGN. It is definitely the heartbeat of Nigeria. I am actually not fully Edo. My paternal grandfather is from Lagos State (Isale Eko). But my paternal grandmother is from Edo State (Benin; the Inneh family).
So I was very enthusiastic to represent the state that I still had an affiliation with. I learnt so much about Edo State: the rich culture, history, achievements, politics, food and so many other things. I am proud to be partly from Edo State and very much happy I represented Edo State in a positive way.
Beauty pageant generally has lost its appeal and glamour. What is your take on this?
That’s an interesting question. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to do the beauty pageant. When I read about beauty queens, you ask them questions about what they want to do for Nigeria, some of them say things that they don’t eventually do and this is sad. You don’t have to dream big before you can help people. I always think most people are being selfish, but at the same time you need a little selflessness in you. I have not lived in Nigeria for so many years, but, trust me, I read about Nigeria and every single time I read the news, I’m teary because I always think that this is my country.
I feel like a lot of the beauty queens just see that ‘I’m famous now everybody sees me, everybody thinks I’m beautiful’, but that is not what the beauty queen is all about. You need to give back and help a person, that is what you need to do.
What are your plans as the fourth runner-up of MBGN 2015?
I contested MBGN 2015 to use my achievement as the 4th runner-up as a platform for me to get my voice heard. It is without doubt that people do respect beauty queens and I do not just mean any beauty queen but one who is very good and genuine at heart.
I do make an emphasis on the word genuine because it is a natural attribute and not an attribute that should be forced. My immediate contribution to my beautiful country would be to join clean and green projects, seminar talks and charity organisations that would enhance the development of one’s skills and confidence, which in turn would help people achieve their goals.
This is paramount to me because these people I help would be able to give back to the country by serving the country as professionals, entrepreneurs or civil servants. This would in turn create more job opportunities. It is like a chain reaction. A positive effort I make to help Nigeria would produce a result, which in turn would produce another result.
In addition to joining these projects and organisations, I would also create my own non-governmental organisation (NGO) that would be focusing on several issues affecting our nation, issues involving health, education, poverty, cyber bullying and climate change.
However, I would be focusing on each of these issues individually under my NGO. It is vital that these issues are addressed not all together so that all necessary attention can be given to each one at a time to achieve the goals I set out to achieve. Having more people on board within my organisation and enough finance would make results achievable and efficiently done. I am currently waiting for my NGO to be registered. Once this is done, I will start implementing all the plans I have been working on.
What influenced your decision to come to Nigeria for the MBGN beauty pageant?
I have done beauty pageants for Nigeria before. I did one four years ago – Miss Global Nigeria – and I was the first runner-up. I also represented Nigeria in the Top Model of the World in Egypt in 2013. So, MBGN was not my first pageant. You don’t have to be pretty when going for the beauty pageant. You just have to be smart.
I am a student in Canada taking my second degree (Chemical Engineering). Over the years, I have watched the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant and followed the progress of majority of their winners, and I always had this feeling that I had something different.
My vision and goal for Nigeria made me contest this pageant. I came from Canada to contest MBGN 2015 not for my own personal gain. It was important for me to be involved in Nigeria in a positive way, helping kids, helping the needy and creating awareness on issues impacting our country negatively.
I am still Nigerian irrespective of where I reside or my accent. I would not feel like I am living a fulfilled life by staying in the Diaspora happily while my home country needs any little help she could get. Not every Nigerian in the Diaspora thinks about things this way, maybe for some personal reason or maybe because of the disappointment or anger they feel towards our government over the years.
All of these reasons are understandable, but, at the same time, I believe that anger or disappointment should motivate Nigerians in the Diaspora to want to help Nigeria become a better country. I have this philosophy about us humans, that there are two kinds of people in this world: the ones that strive so hard to make the world a better place and the ones that take the world just as it is.
I believe the previous kinds of people are meant to make contributions in ways that would encourage the latter kind of people to see things differently. By so doing, things would gradually change. Every little effort goes a long way over time, just like the saying. Over time, however, what may first appear to be small efforts will multiply and end up being significant.
What have been the high and low parts of the pageant?
The low part was when I was sick. I was disappointed because in my first week in camp I was like ‘wow!’ And I felt it was a competition. The second week, my body was breaking. It was really emotional because I felt ‘I came all the way from Canada and I must win this pageant’. I’m not winning it for myself but I’m winning it for Nigeria basically. Irrespective of what challenges you have in life, you just have to push yourself forward.
So what’s the thin line between modelling and beauty pageant?
Except from the walk, what we do is different. In the modelling industry, it’s either you are a runway model, editorial model or commercial model. So, usually, I do runways and editorials, and I’m not really expected to be smart.
I’m not really expected to sit down and have conversations with people. It’s just more like looking pretty and beautiful. They don’t really care if you have a school degree or high school knowledge, they don’t really care if you are trying to help people. It’s just all about making your money, going for your job, going for casting and leaving the place.
But in the beauty pageant industry it’s different because you have to smile every time. You have to be encouraging. People have to like you. You have to be helpful and you have to be truthful about helping people. You don’t really need to have the best walk. We have to be beautiful, we have to have the goal and the statistics.
What attracted you to modelling?
A lot of people model for money, career and many other things. But I don’t want to be a model for a career. I have already had a career in Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering. Eventually, I want to be a doctor. I got into modelling because it was a form of relaxation for me.
You are in a man’s field (chemical engineering). What influenced your course of study?
I did my Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Mathematics. I love Mathematics because it is my strength. So when I was taking a programme in school, I wanted to take something I won’t have to study so much on, like I could do well and not even put so much effort in it.
Chemistry, on the other hand, was interesting for me. Mathematics is just like a challenge. It’s not something you can cram. You have to learn and apply it to a lot of things in life. Why I did that? It was because I wanted to go to medical school. Since I decided not to go for medical anymore at this point in time because of financial reason, I decided to take a technology based course, chemical engineering.
So it is a four-year programme, but because I already had a Bachelor of Science degree, it is a two-year programme for me.
What were the unforgettable things that happened when you were growing up?
Going away when I was at a very young age, like, being away out of the country to another continent entirely, has really moulded me into who I am. I have experienced a lot of challenges in life that I can’t really talk about them. Some are really emotional.
I always see positivity in a lot of things because I’m an optimistic person. At 23, I have not experienced half of what my mum or anybody might have experienced. At the same time, I’m happy about my past and everything that has happened. I don’t regret anything because it made me who I am right now.
When are you planning to settle down?
(Laughs) I don’t know, but I pray about it. And I pray that God should bring the right person to me. And if the right person comes, I will get married to him. If the person understands my dream and my inspiration, even going back to medical school is not going to be a problem.
So that means you are still single and searching?
No! I am not searching. I’m keeping an open mind. I meet people, talk to them. If my heart moves towards them and if my heart doesn’t, I keep them as friends.
What is your definition of love?
Love is a very selfless act. For you to be in love, you can’t be selfish. You have to understand that there are two people involved and the way you think about life has to be about you and this person irrespective of whatever is going on in the relationship.
What can you do for love?
I don’t know, maybe because I haven’t fallen in love. I think we have different kinds of love: the Agape love, Eros love … The Agape love is God’s love and that is the one I will go for. And I have my parents’ love because I really appreciate what they’ve done for me and how I can’t even imagine my life without them. And the Eros love, I pray to experience it because when people talk about it, it’s really beautiful, so I can’t wait to experience it.
Have you ever dated a white man?
Yes.
What was your mum’s reaction to that?
My mum didn’t know. We were dating, but I won’t classify it like the way everybody dates. I was younger then. I was 19 years. He was nice, he was ready to know a lot about my culture and I just felt I was educating him about my culture, basically.
How do your parents influence you?
My parents are the most hardworking parents ever. The kind of love they give sometimes, I always tell them I don’t know if I’m capable of giving this kind of love to my kids. Sometimes, it’s really emotional, like, they go out of their way to please us.
They don’t only show us the love, they show their family members and people around them, and I was like ‘wow! That’s amazing’.
What is your perception of life?
I have always had a philosophy to choose to be morally upright and irrespective of what is prevalent in this society. But I have tried as much as possible to be morally upright not just for myself, but for my family, my friends and, especially, to God.
What are your fashion weaknesses?
Shoes! I can wear the same cloth every day of the week and wash it but my shoes have to be different. I feel like shoes are the first thing people notice about you. I can tell the kind of person you are by the shoes you put on.
What is style to you?
I feel style is a personal thing. I don’t think anybody can have the same style with somebody else. I feel like it is an individual perspective. The way you see yourself is the way you want other people to see you.
Can you define your style?
My style can be a little bit chic and classy, and at the same time have a little bit of edge in it.
Do you have any particular beauty routine?
Yes, I do. I like to do a lot of face mask. Once in a week, I have to do my face mask. I feel it is important. I have a sensitive skin and oily skin. So, I’m really careful what I get for my face. I don’t like to touch my face because we get a lot of bacteria in the hand and I don’t like people to touch my face either. I drink a lot of water and eat lots of fruits.
Who are your favourite Nigerian fashion designers?
Lanre DaSilva-Ajayi, Needle Kraft, Toju Foyeh, April by Kunbi, Mai Atafo, Tiffany Amber. I like a couple of them. Nigerian designers are amazing.
In comparison to their foreign counterparts?
Yes. Even when I see a lot of clothes some Nigerian designers make, l am like, ‘you think out of the box’. I feel like in the Diaspora, it’s not really out of the box, but sometimes they go out of the box and they make clothes that other people from another country cannot even wear. But Nigerian designers’ clothes are for every race like the black, the white, and the Indians. In UK, their designers make clothes practically for their own people. I think Nigeria designers are top-notch.
Purpose of being beauty queen?
Being a beauty queen is not just being physically beautiful. One has to possess an inner beauty that exhibits positive energy and a contagious aura. It is important that as a beauty queen you are aware of the public attention that comes with the title, and also have a vast knowledge and wisdom in knowing how to embrace this in a positive manner. A lot of beauty queens in Nigeria go into pageants for themselves, but that is by far what being a beauty queen is about. As a beauty queen you aren’t just meant to win the pageant for yourself. Winning the beauty pageant should be a great way for you to achieve your goal in helping people. That is the whole point of being a beauty queen.
