In her first sit-down interview, Miss Rwanda 2021, Grace Ingabire, who was crowned on Saturday, March 20, speaks about the shock of winning what she describes as ‘the most competitive Miss Rwanda’.

The humble and well-spoken 25-year-old, a day after being crowned, talked of how she used to encourage her young sister and younger friends to participate in the pageant, realising how important the platform was.

Being outside the previous eligible age bracket, she never considered herself, until she stumbled on the Miss Rwanda website and realised that the organisers had lifted the age limit from 24 to 28. The passionate dancer and taekwondo enthusiast saw an opportunity and took her chances.

In a colourful ceremony that was not attended by the public due to Covid-19 restrictions, Ingabire was crowned by Miss Rwanda 2020, Naomie Nishimwe, beating the first-runner up Amanda Akaliza and the 2nd runner-up Witness Umutoni.

In her first interview with The New Times, Ingabire, speaks about the joy of winning, the future ahead, managing the limelight and challenges ahead.

Excerpts:

Congratulations on winning Miss Rwanda 2021. How would you describe yourself?

Thank you. I am a 25-year-old graduate with a degree in dance, with a concentration in globalisation psychology and philosophy. I am deeply passionate about dance, and telling stories through movement.

March 20, 2021 will always be a memorable day for you for obvious reasons. How did it feel when they announced your name as the winner of Miss Rwanda 2021?

The moment they announced my name, I was completely surprised. It felt unreal. It also felt like I was dreaming. I think I felt numb for a moment and I think I’m still processing what it means and what it implies for me going forward. I also felt completely thankful for God’s grace and His blessing.

When you made it to the top 10, what did you think your chances were? Did you see yourself as the winner?

When we were still the top 10 and they were about to announce the top three, I had started to relax. I stopped thinking about it so much. I said ‘I have done everything that I could possibly do’ and I think this is up to God and the judges and may the best person win.’ I think in that moment I just let go and when they called the first two, I didn’t know that they were going to call a third, and then they called my name. I was so surprised. Going into the top three, I also didn’t know what could happen. I didn’t know if I was going to be the first runner-up or the second. I was really grateful that I was even in the top three and was just waiting to see what would happen. 

In boot camp you got to know fellow contestants and their abilities. How competitive was this pageant?

I don’t know how previous Miss Rwanda competitions were but I felt this one was incredibly competitive, but that was also very good. They offered us challenges that helped us grow, everybody had something to bring to the table, everybody had a story and that was incredibly inspiring. So, even if you were not to be crowned, you still felt grateful because you knew somebody came with a story and that is it was going to change their life somehow, but I was really grateful to be surrounded by people that were incredibly talented and smart. I was just doing what I could but I was also just praying for the best person to win – a person who is going to represent this organisation well, a person who is going to use this platform productively. I felt like anybody among the contestants could have done that very well.

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Let’s go back to where it all started. How did you think of participating in the pageant? Is this a dream you had from childhood?

No, it was actually not my dream [laughs]. Two years ago, I started hearing a bit more about Miss Rwanda and I don’t know if it was because I had grown up a bit more and I was a bit more mature. I started to see the opportunity it gives to the girls that contest for it, but I didn’t think of myself among the people that could possibly contest. So, I encouraged my younger friends to pursue this opportunity, to take up this chance, and then one time I was doing this for my sister, telling her ‘you have these incredible ideas, why don’t you also pursue this Miss Rwanda platform’? I kept trying to convince her but she didn’t think it was something for her, and then like two hours later, she said, ‘since you’re the one who has all these ideas and all these projects, why don’t you try it?’ I thought to myself and I checked the website. I saw that they had increased the age limit and I thought maybe that was a sign and decided to take up the opportunity. I didn’t know what opportunity it was going to present for me, how the journey was going to go. I just decided to take up the adventure and here I am. [Laughs].

When you told your parents that you want to run for Miss Rwanda, what was their impression? 

I am so thankful to God because they were incredibly supportive in this journey. They actually were pushing me to do it, really helping me in any way and everywhere that they could.

Who do you think was a strong one for the title?

I think its multiple people [laughs]. I think Sandrine Umutoniwasa, Chrissy Karera, Amanda Akaliza and Umutoni Witness. Those four are the ones I thought were incredibly strong and that they could possibly win the title.

How has the contest been for you mentally? 

I have learned a lot. I think it was a challenging, enlightening experience, especially because I didn’t really know what to expect. I just thought I was coming here and I was going to learn a few things about Rwanda, about the culture, but I didn’t really know much, but I feel like I have learned a lot. I’ve been challenged in many ways that have helped me grow. It has been a very enlightening experience. It has brought me from one level to another, I have made incredible friends. I have been given a platform that I was looking for, so I’m so thankful.

How do you feel about the status and benefits that come with the title? A brand-new car, a salary and other perks that come with being Miss Rwanda?

[Laughs] I am most thankful for the trust. I think it’s an incredible responsibility that comes with that, and I’m just praying to God that I’m able to represent the organisation, to help it grow, to become an asset. So yeah, I’m thankful but also feel like I have more responsibilities now and that I have to show up for the organisation and to show up for my country, to use these ideas that I bring, and how I am to make this better than I found it.

Let’s talk about your plans. Where do you go from here now that you are Miss Rwanda? How do you envision your reign?

For this year, I am planning first to learn more about the organisation, learn more about what they do and how they do it, and the second thing is working on the Africa Improved Foods projects to support vulnerable people.

I will work with the initiative to distribute domestic animals to vulnerable people. I’m looking forward to that, to the learning process, and how that’s going to help me learn more about my country. Third, as I said I had projects coming here, I am looking forward to the support from Miss Rwanda in implementing these projects, my dance studio, but also creating dance theatre spaces.

How much weight does the crown carry? Do you feel a certain level of pressure due to what is expected of you?

As I said before, it’s a great weight that I’m carrying on my shoulders right now. Actually, when they first announced my name, that is the first thing I thought about. I was thankful but I also thought ‘Oh my, what am I going to bring to the table? How am I going to leave this better and different from how I found it’? I prayed to God and I said ‘please God, help me be a blessing because they’ve been a blessing to me, so I want to return that.’  I also want to turn my ideas into reality, to create something new, something positive, but I think it’s an incredible weight and a lot of responsibility. I think working with Miss Rwanda and getting orientation from the team, along with my family’s support and God, it is going to work.

With the title, your life will definitely change, you are going to be in the spotlight, your private life will be under scrutiny. Are you ready for this?

Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that as well and I think I need a lot of support from the organisation, to orient me, to train me, to teach me about the social etiquette that comes with this crown. I want to focus on what brought me here, to focus on the organisation’s mission and not really look at the comments and everything that people might be saying, whether good or bad because I feel like anytime, when someone is in the spotlight, somebody is going to say something. My plan is to consult the organisation as many times as I can to help me with this process, but also to focus on my mission, to focus on achieving something while I’m here, to be a blessing to the organisation.

You come at a time when the pandemic is still around. It affected the reign of your predecessor. How do you plan to overcome these challenges because the virus is yet to go away?

While in boot camp, I thought about that a lot. I thought about how I am going to be able to carry out my projects with the pandemic, and when I was crowned on Saturday, I thought about it as well. I was talking to some of the people in the organisation and they said they’re ready to give me full support in any way they can. I think that means they will support me if I need to consult an expert on how we can maybe digitalise some of the projects and how we can work around the pandemic. I think that’s the plan because I really want to be able to work even during this pandemic or even a lockdown.  I’m thinking maybe consulting experts on how we can do this creatively, how we can think outside the box and how we can work with and around the limitations that we have currently.

A lot is waiting for you, representing Rwanda at the international stage, Miss World, etc. How ready are you?

I look forward to the training and learning during this time with the help and support of the Miss Rwanda organisation, so I can be in a better position to represent my country.

What can you say about the Miss Rwanda organisation?

I think I’m grateful for their mission. I’m grateful for their incredible support and I’m really grateful for how much they sacrifice, how much they’re driven to empower girls through the competition. I am grateful that I had a chance to meet them, learn from them, and see first-hand how driven they are to change a girl’s life. I am so thankful for that and I look forward to learning more from them and to working with them to change more young ladies’ lives.

Miss Rwanda 2021 Grace Ingabire (middle), with the first runner-up Amanda Akaliza (L) and second runner up, Witness Umutoni.