Pictures from the 22nd edition of Miss Cote D'Ivoire

Fatem Suy was crowned Miss Côte d'Ivoire 2018 at the 22nd edition of one of Africa’s most beautiful and prestigious beauty pageant.

The event took place at the Palais des Congrès Sofitel Abidjan hotel ivory. Fatem Suy succeeds Miss Côte d'Ivoire 2017 Mandjalia Gbané and will be going on to represent Cote d’Ivoire at the Miss World 2018t o be held in China in December..

The 19-year-old beauty queen is a corporate communication student in Cote d Ivoire. She was followed by Jemima Gbato (4th year student in oil engineering and professional dancer) and Bakayoko Lathy (student of 19 years in first year economics and management at the University Institute of Abidjan) as the 1st and the 2nd runners-up respectively. Assadiya Kouablan (23 years old, master 2 student in marketing management option) and Mélissa Sery, (1st year marketing management student) won the 3rd and 4th runners-up positions respectively.

Speaking of her boyish cut and natural hair, Miss Ivory Coast 2018 Suy Fatem said, “while going to pre-selections for bouake, I did not take the job to heart. when I was elected miss bouaké, it made me realize a lot of things. like what, I could be natural and win in front of girls who are as beautiful as me but wicks instead of hair.”

Fatem Suy came out the top of the final beauty contest which was attended by nearly 200 million viewers online, and was unanimously voted the queen by the jury.

Unlike the 25 other candidates, Fatem Suy had the audacity to present herself at the grand finale of Miss Ivory Coast with short hair, something unusual in the history of the beauty contest.

Her mother revealed a few of her childhood memories. “She spent her childhood in Bingerville at Sicogi 2. But already a little girl, she was ambitious. She always told us, her father and me; "You will not regret" And since her dad pays for her studies, she kept telling him that: "Dad, you're not going to regret." Since she had her first year's high school diploma, two years ago. She is at UCAO (Catholic University of West Africa) where she is a second year student in business communication. (...) Since childhood, she has always been very ambitious. After Notre Dame de Bingerville in primary school, then college and high school, she was very ambitious. She always told us, her father and I: "You will not regret. I will be your pride in life. She told us that, word for word,” she said.