And the winner for most supportive contestant on a pageant stage goes to Miss Nigeria, Nyekachi Douglas. The reigning Miss World Africa showed what it really means to “root for everybody Black” on Saturday when she gave a praise dance on stage following the announcement that another contestant, Miss Jamaica Toni-Ann Singh, would be taking home the Miss World 2019 crown.
Her excitement wasn’t lost on social media, with many people chiming in on the competition coverage with captions about how supportive the international model was of Miss Jamaica. Fellow Nigerian model Adeola Ariyo wrote on Instagram, “I can’t contain the excitement in me right now!! Congratulations #missjamaica on winning #missworld. BUT GUYS!!!!!! Can we have a moment for #missnigeria @nyeka_d 🇳🇬❤️🇳🇬 THIS IS THE KIND OF SUPPORT WE ALL NEED!!! 🇳🇬🇯🇲🤣#missworld2019”
Others echoed her sentiment, with one Twitter user saying, “Miss Nigeria Universe and Miss Nigeria World are EXACTLY the friends every woman needs in their corner. WHEN YOUR PEOPLE WIN, YOU WIN.” The caption accompanied photos from the last two weeks of competition where both Nigerian contestants celebrated the title winners.
Another user added that we should all strive to be as kind-spirited and supportive as Miss Nigeria.
And as we go into a new decade, Black Twitter framed Miss Nigeria as the kind of friend we should be looking to associate ourselves with.
There’s no denying that in a world that often pits strong, Black women against each other, seeing Miss Nigeria celebrate her competition’s victory is indeed a refreshing picture.
Miss Jamaica’s win on Saturday makes her the fifth Black woman to hold a major pageant title. She joins Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa who was named Miss Universe last week, Kaliegh Garris, the reigning Miss Teen USA, Cheslie Kryst who won Miss USA and Nia Franklin, who was named Miss America 2019.