How Caroline Yetunde Won Sisi-Oge 2015/2016 Contest

Beautiful and brilliant Caroline Oresanya Yetunde, the University of Lagos Creative Arts final year student on whose head now sits the Sisi Oge Pride of Africa crown for 2015/2016.

In this interview with Vanguard shares plans for her reign and her journey into beauty.

What do you suspect stood you out?

I think my sense of creativity did. We were at the camp for two weeks and while there, we were engaged in different activities like, cooking, and mind games, talent hunts and much more, and I think I had an edge over all others in all the activities. I came first in the story-telling competition. I was just being creative all along. I represented the Zulu Kingdom in South Africa but the costume I wore wasn’t what the usual descendant of Zulu will wear.

I wore just a bra and a beaded costume and then a hat. I was just creative with the costumes. I designed my costumes myself, drawing ideas from what we had done earlier in school. We always make costumes in my department at the University of Lagos. I didn’t have any special designer for this contest. My costumes were all self-made and borrowed.

Is this your first time in a pageant?

Yes, it is. But before now, I have been involved in various modelling jobs. So, this was really a new challenge for me.

What attracted you to the contest?

It is a different kind of pageant and unlike other pageants in Nigeria, this one promotes African culture, values and heritage. It takes you back to your roots and forces you to learn more about the African culture and traditions. And besides, unlike other pageants, which lack continuity, the Sisi Oge pageant has continually run for nine years now without ceasing.

How did such attract you when your peers are falling head over heels for everything western?

Parents who were rooted in the African values and tradition brought me up and my parents used to tell my siblings and I never to forget our roots. I am from Ogun State. This pageant helped me to study more about where I come from and about the culture and traditions of my people and even my language.

Now that you have been crowned Sisi Oge 2016, how do you hope to utilise the platform?

My aim is to positively affect lives and make people happy. To achieve that, I’m carrying out a research on the needs of the people around me. Once this is concluded, I should begin work on how to meet their needs.

Also, I intend to carry out economic empowerment programmes. Sisi Oge has a strong partnership with the Lagos State Government and I hope to partner the state government as well on my projects. Last yuletide, I worked with children with Down Syndrome, and I believe that is a good starting point for me.