Maputo, 24 Jul (AIM) – A Mozambican student of Business Management, who lives in South Africa, Jéssica Custódio Muvale, is on a list of three Miss Linda International winners, according to Nigerian entity that organizes the pageant Mister/Miss Gorgeous International, in which young people aged between 18 and 35 from 11 countries participated.
Mister/Miss Gorgeous International constitutes a competition that takes place in Nigeria. The main objective is to promote diversity, cultural exchange and inclusion. It is focused on the promotion of culture and various countries’ heritages, as main criteria for the evaluation of all the competitors.
According to the Mister/Miss Gorgeous International website, the inaugural winners of this contest are Patience Wawina, from Uganda, Ratna Sari, from Indonesia and Jéssica Custódio Muvale, from Mozambique, who competed with the South African flag, the country where it was eradicated.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we present Jessica Custório Muvale, Miss Linda International, 2nd runner-up 2023. She was the delegate from South Africa in this year’s virtual pageant. We would like to express a lot of gratitude to the Mister/Miss Gorgeous International board for giving us such a wonderful opportunity! Jerssia will be officially crowned in South Africa on a date to be confirmed soon”, reads the note.
In a telephone contact, Jessica Muvale told AIM on Saturday that “I started preparing for the event in April last year, in South Africa. I won two titles the first time I went on stage, so I believed that modeling is for me.”
“Here in South Africa, I’ve participated in local and provincial competitions and now I’m part of national and international competitions. I gained experience, confidence and knowledge about being a model. I’ve had material prizes that I’ve won from time to time, but in all honesty, the real prizes are the bonds I make with fellow competitors I meet along the way, the opportunities and knowledge I gain from my superiors,” she explained.
In another development, Muvale revealed that “I coach girls from my county (Westonaria, Johannesburg outskirts) with no age restriction. I train them how to walk correctly, the importance of image as a model. I introduce them in legitimate competitions that will help their careers grow and, most importantly, I teach them that being a model is not just about beauty, but about thinking about other people”. One day, I will be able to train girls from my country (Mozambique)”, she concluded.
Jessica’s dream is to “go even further and represent the Mister/Miss Gorgeous International (MGI) brand globally. And if possible, I want to make sure every country has the chance to represent themselves with respect and show the world what Africa has to offer.”
Jessica Muvale dedicated the win “to girls everywhere in the world who want to pursue a modeling career but are scared because of their circumstances at home or have low self-esteem or any other reason why they can’t follow their passion. I dedicate it to them because I want to show them that circumstances don’t challenge you. You are allowed to dream big and you need to be determined to make your dreams come true.”
“To my family, friends, colleagues, thank you for the support, love, patience and affection you have shown me. I am truly blessed, I intend to make you proud, I love you all”, concluded Muvale, advising “young Mozambicans and South Africans to believe what they say, not to be ashamed of doing something out of the ordinary, to believe in themselves and be determined to go further”.
For Jessica Muvale, “warriors are not those who always win, but those who always fight. As women, you must stand up and fight for what you believe”.
In addition to the prizes received for the victory, the three winners will participate in a similar live event in India, where Jéssica Muvale hopes to demonstrate, once again, her potential as a model.
Jéssica Custódio Muvale is from Macarringa-Unguana, in the district of Massinga, in the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane. She is based in South Africa, where her father owns a construction company.
(AIM)
JSA
