I hope you and yours are doing well. I've been busy but happy, thanks be to God. As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, besides living out my platforms of advocating for SHERO and women in STEM, my goal as Miss Sierra Leone USA and onward is to highlight and celebrate my fellow queens and titleholders from Sierra Leone. Using my blog as a tool to thoroughly highlight our queens, this post is to get to know a beautiful titleholder and a phenomenal young lady. Ladies and gentlemen, get to know this beauty with a purpose that is using her crown for a good cause, Miss Mariatu Dukuray.
Presenting... Queen Mariatu Dukuray
Who is Miss Mariatu Dukuray? |
| Queen Mariatu Dukuray |
Age: 23 years old
Place of Birth: Damascus, Syria
Country of Residence: Republic of Sierra Leone
Hobbies/Interests: surfing the internet; watching movies, especially scientific and magical movies; listening to music; shopping; playing games; and spending time with loved ones.
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| Natural Beauty Miss Mariatu Dukuray |
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| Top Model from Sierra Leone Miss Mariatu Dukuray |
Education
Completed most of her primary school education in Tripoli, Libya
Secondary: Annie Walsh Memorial in Freetown, Sierra Leone
Tertiary: studying Information Technology (IT) online at the Amity University of India (final year student)
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| Miss Mariatu Dukuray |
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| Elegant Sierra Leonean Queen Miss Mariatu Dukuray |
Pageant Experience
Miss Freetown 2012
Miss Earth Sierra Leone 2013
Miss Kenema 2014
Miss Kenema 2014
Miss Sierra Leone 2014 finalist
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| Miss Freetown 2012 Mariatu Dukuray |
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| Woman of the Earth: Sierra Leone's Miss Earth 2013-2014 Mariatu Dukuray |
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| Queen representing Kenema District: Miss Kenema 2014 Mariatu Dukuray |
Queen Mariatu's Advocacy for Education
Queen Mariatu didn’t have the chance or opportunity like most kids to start school at the required age. She started going to school at the age of 8. She mentions "I will never forget the way I felt and how happy I was when I started schooling." Queen Mariatu at ages 8-13 years was a challenging one because apart from not starting school early, she forfeited another whole year of not going to school during the course and she attended three different primary schools at a time; all three of them were different from the other. But due to the fact that she was very intelligent, she never repeated any stage and is thankfully to God for that. During her younger years, her father raised her and her siblings under the motto "There is no life in this house without education." She mentions, "that taught me that even though circumstances may not allow things to happen at its right time, education is one thing that one must strive to get, for without it or even a bit of it, you are not considered."
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| Top Model Miss Mariatu Dukuray |
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| Talented and Beautiful Miss Earth Sierra Leone 2013-2014 Mariatu Dukuray |
Queen Mariatu's advocacy as reigning Miss Earth Sierra Leone is "Water Stone." According to Queen Mariatu, in Sierra Leone "we have many big stones that you can find in river shores, in streams, wells and many other places, and locally we call it 'water side stone.' My country is blessed with abundant water ranging from streams, rivers, underground water. You name it, but yet still, there are a good number of people who do not have easy access to it." Her advocacy is more concerned about the accessibility of clean water to primary school children, because most of the public primary schools in Sierra Leone do not have access to water for the students to drink or even clean up after using the rest room. Queen Mariatu adds "that is why whenever there is a waterborne disease outbreak, these children are hugely affected by it because they do not have access to water to wash their hands, wash their fruits before eating and the like. So in order to help reduce the risk, I chose to help in this in my own little way as a Miss Earth Sierra Leone and as a Woman of the Earth."
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| Sierra Leone's Miss Earth 2013 Queen Mariatu Dukuray |
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| Mother Nature's Daughter Sierra Leone's Queen Mariatu Dukuray planting tress at Miss Earth 2013 with other contestants |
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| Fiercely Talented GreenWhiteBlue Queen in Rafia Queen Mariatu Dukuray performing in the Miss Earth 2013 talent competition with fire breathing |
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| Sexy in Swimsuit Miss Earth Sierra Leone 2013 Mariatu Dukuray |
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| Miss Earth Sierra Leone 2013 Mariatu Dukuray |
Queen With A Crown and Cause
Queen Mariatu launched her organization last year on June 15th at the Ministry of Tourism. Her organization is called Mugbor Foundation; "mugbor" is a Mende word that means "let us help" in English. In addition, Queen Mariatu is currently one of the presenters on Sierra Leone's newest television show called Wetin Now? This is a television magazine show made by and for young people in Sierra Leone. The program highlights sensitive and complex issues, interviews, as well as local and international news.
Statement from Queen Mariatu
Personal Remarks
Queen Mariatu launched her organization last year on June 15th at the Ministry of Tourism. Her organization is called Mugbor Foundation; "mugbor" is a Mende word that means "let us help" in English. In addition, Queen Mariatu is currently one of the presenters on Sierra Leone's newest television show called Wetin Now? This is a television magazine show made by and for young people in Sierra Leone. The program highlights sensitive and complex issues, interviews, as well as local and international news.
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| Television Beauty Queen Mariatu Dukuray on the set of Wetin Now? |
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| Queen Mariatu Dukuray having fun on the set of Wetin Now? |
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| Miss Earth Sierra Leone 2013 Mariatu Dukuray interacting with children in the Philippines |
Unfortunately for me, my family has been separated for a long time now. Even when we were together, it was mostly cold. But even though my mom and dad are separated, I still hold them as close as ever, and my little brothers are the cutest brothers in the world. My country [Sierra Leone] is the home of many natural and beautiful beaches in the world. Such things attracts tourism, and tourism brings income to a country, so joining a helping hand in beautifying these beaches and their surroundings the more, the more tourists from all over the world will come and the more income my country will generate. That is a perfect thing that I can promote about my country.
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| Sierra Leonean Queen from Africa Miss Earth Sierra Leone 2013-2014 Mariatu Dukuray in traditional wear at Miss Earth 2013 |
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| Sierra Leone's Woman of the Earth Mariatu Dukuray at Miss Earth 2013 |
I first took notice of Queen Mariatu few weeks before the month of Miss Earth 2013 last December. Being that I have never seen Sierra Leone represented at this pageant during the past three years I have taken interest into pageantry, I got very excited about this. After learning about her, I became interested in her and wanted to get to know this queen. I contacted her online and we messaged each other back and forth. I loved how down-to-earth she was, and appreciated her communicating with me even when she was in Philippines competing at Miss Earth; she even accepted my request and shared some information about herself, which I later blogged about and used to promote her on my social media outlets during that time. I followed her journey at Miss Earth via social media and saw how she represented our country Sierra Leone with pride and honor; in addition, her styling was naturally beautiful and she carried herself with grace and that wonderful Sierra Leone countenance. Post-Miss Earth pageant, she shared her personal struggles and journey to the Miss Earth pageant with me, and I really admired her perseverance and drive which made her not allow her circumstances to hinder her dreams. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to get to interact with Queen Mariatu in-person yet. However, I hope we do get to cross paths soon. Moreover, I wish this phenomenal lady all the best in her current and future endeavors because she's shown me that she's a hardworking and fiercely ambitious lady. Keep reaching for excellence and nothing less, Queen Mariatu. You're truly a beauty with a purpose.
Additional Fun Facts about Queen Mariatu
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| Miss Earth Sierra Leone Mariatu Dukuray with other Miss Earth 2013 delegates |
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA 2012-2014 Ruby B. Johnson with sign in support of Miss Earth Sierra Leone 2013 Mariatu Dukuray |
Additional Fun Facts about Queen Mariatu
- Zodiac sign is Gemini
- Spent half of her childhood in Tripoli, Libya
- Loves bright colors, and favorite color is orange
- Loves gadgets such as computers, phones, iPad, etc.
- Loves playing the game of flags and cities of countries
- Her most memorable moment in life is her first day of school
- Second (2nd) woman to represent the Republic of Sierra Leone at the Miss Earth pageant
- Birth date is June 16th, a day that commemorates Day of the African Child (African Child's Day) worldwide
- The most unusual thing Queen Mariatu has ever done was wearing a night gown for the whole day till the next morning.
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| Miss Earth Sierra Leone 2013-2014 Mariatu Dukuray |
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| Miss Earth Sierra Leone 2013-2014 Mariatu Dukuray |
Despite the fact that we are just from a bloody civil war, Sierra Leoneans find it in their hearts to forgive, forget and move forward for the betterment of the nation. Today, we are one of the most peaceful, violence-free and religiously-tolerant countries in the world, and I am proud of my country for that. - Miss Mariatu Dukuray, Miss Earth Sierra Leone 2013
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| Pretty in Pink: Miss Kenema 2014 Mariatu Dukuray |
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