The New Times met Meghan Nimwiza on a hot Monday afternoon at her home in Gaculiro, a Kigali suburb.

Nimwiza means ‘she/he’s beautiful’ in Kinyarwanda.

After waiting for the queue of journalists who were taking turns to interview her at her home, I finally had my one-on-one with Rwanda’s reigning beauty queen.

Dressed in a pair of navy blue jeans and a white off-the-shoulder top, Nimwiza came out to meet me. Courteous, simple and articulate is how I would describe the 20-year-old. Her beauty, so simple yet striking, reflects the elegance of the beauty queen she is.

She beamed every now and then as she reveled bit by bit into the events that weaved her journey to the highly coveted crown.

"I never thought of winning Miss Rwanda let alone take part in beauty contests,” she says.

I have always been an introvert, this is why it was a shock to many when they learnt that I was competing for the crown, Nimwiza notes.

Growing up, Nimwiza was a very quiet child who liked serenity more than anything else. "Calmness is what gave me peace; I wasn’t that playful like other children and I always kept to myself.”

Joining Miss Rwanda beauty pageant…

She acted on the pulse. After watching a number of previous Miss Rwanda auditions Nimwiza believed the pageant was something she could give a shot.

It wasn’t the fame that comes with the crown that appealed to her but the numerous opportunities to serve her country. "That’s what pushed me to join the race,” she tells me.

"Holding this title for me is more about the platform it give me so I can use it to serve my country. This is what I want to focus on during my reign,” Nimwiza says.

Intense and fascinating is how she describes her journey so far.

"It hasn’t been all rosy but I must say I have enjoyed and learnt a lot so far. Of course there has been a lot of pressure, too much exposure, and the critics but I have learnt a lot. I am not the same girl who joined this race a few months ago.”

She reveals that taking part in Miss Rwanda contest has groomed her into a more daring and confident woman. She describes the pageant as a beautiful platform that propels girls to greatness.

"Miss Rwanda is a big and beautiful platform. Some people don’t view it the same but if you have ever been part of that contest, you know how beautiful and big it is. Even if you don’t win being part of it is a big achievement. It gives women exposure; it empowers them, and lets them shine,” she says.

Miss Rwanda 2019, Meghan Nimwiza during the interview with The New Times at her home in Gaculiro on Monday. Emmanuel Kwizera.

Secret to the crown

"I had no secret whatsoever but I must say I gave it my best. I did what everyone else did. I had my parents’ support and this is what kept my spirits high.

"I was determined to work it out, for my father had told me that if I had thought of doing this then I should give it my best and I did just that,” she says of her triumphant participation in the beauty pageant.

Nimwiza also recalls praying to God and promising Him to do her best if only He stood by her.

"I spoke to God after every challenge. I always told Him that I had done my best and requested Him to do the rest for me, that was my daily prayer throughout the boot camp.”

She took it day by day and kept her expectations low. This is what she says kept her afloat during the taut competition. But at times, it was so tough and petrifying she thought of giving up.

"At times I felt like backing out, I am sure some of the girls felt like that too because there is a period it got to and everyone was pressured and scared to go home. I was anxious up until that moment I was announced as the winner. It was tough on that stage, facing that crowd was overwhelming but I must say it was all worth it.”

 The night of the crown

Her heart was racing she wanted to back out but it was too late.

"I was scared, I stammered honestly at that point I had forgotten everything, including my project. I was like ‘Meghan, you had this in your mind, what just happened’, but thank God I managed to come back,” she says.

Nimwiza remembers not believing her ears and literally losing her breath when they announced her as the ultimate winner during the grand finale at Intare Conference Arena in Gasabo District on Saturday. That night, she says, will forever hold beautiful memories, memories of triumph.

Her dream legacy as Miss Rwanda

The beauty queen intends to spend her reign as Miss Rwanda serving the less fortunate and representing her country the best way she can for she believes that this crown is something one should use for the benefit of society not for one’s own good.

"If you are to represent your country then do it wholeheartedly, this is what I want. I want to let people see our beautiful country in me before they even see Meghan, I want to serve others the best way I can and live a life of service towards the community. If I can do that I will be satisfied.”

Born and raised in Kigali, Nimwiza is the daughter of Gaspard Ruvebana and Betty Basiime and the first born in a family of three girls.

She holds strong passion for music, writing and reading short stories.

The newly crowned beauty queen dreams of becoming a great businesswoman in agriculture, with a bias towards application of ICT to improve agricultural productivity.

She says she intends to join an agriculture college that’s under construction in Gashora, Bugesera District.  

Indeed, Nimwiza’s Miss Rwanda project is about agriculture with a focus on the young people. Titled, ‘Involvement of Youth in Agriculture, she believes her project will help her contribute toward efforts geared at changing the negative attitude toward the sector, particularly among the youth.

"I chose my project because agriculture and agribusiness are close to my heart, it’s something I want to pursue, I wanted to see the youth getting involved, getting more dynamic in this field in the same way they are dynamic in other sectors like IT and other kinds of business, but not agriculture…this is something I want to see change,” she said.

Yet Nimwiza acknowledges the fact that this is not an easy cause. "Of course I am not going to change everything but I will certainly to do something in my ability”.

She went to primary school at Good Foundation and Les Petits Poussins de Kibagabaga, and later joined Kigali Christian School and then Well Spring Academy for her secondary education.

Message to fellow young people ...

"Young people out here are smart, they are brilliant, they are intelligent, they are everything God created them to be,” she says.

"So use that potential that you have in you to change the world, maybe the world will be changed by you yourself, don’t let any good thing die in you, you should use it, you should try to leave a legacy behind…your life shouldn’t just be another journey, you should leave a mark wherever you pass.”

editorial@newtimes.co.rw