Miss Congo, Dorcas Kasinde on Friday morning won the 2018 Miss Africa Beauty Pageant which was held at the Calabar International Conference Centre in Cross Rivers State.

Kasinde, who beat Nigeria’s representative, Chiamaka Nnaemeka and Zambia’s Gladys Kayumba to the second and third positions respectively to the crown went home with $35,000 and a Sport Utility Vehicle.

She was crowned by the winner of the 2017 edition of the pageant, Miss Gaseangwe Balopi of Botswana.

Earlier in his opening speech, the Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, said it was time for Africans to appreciate themselves and not allow the western media to tell its story which they always focus on poverty and wars.

“This is a celebration of African beauty, brain and heritage; the world will see what African brain and beauty is all about. The judges should come down and look at those things that make a woman truly African; it is not just the skin colour.

“Tunisians and Moroccans are light-skinned but they are Africans,” Ayade said.

Twenty five African countries, including Cameroon, Morocco, Tanzania, Togo and Ghana participated in the event which had Nigerian singers, 2Face Idibia and Tiwa Savage entertaining the audience.