Miss Belgium 2010

The Kingdom of Belgium, the heart of Europe, has a distinctive mix of cultures. Flanders, in the north of Belgium, is home of the Flemish people that are Dutch speakers. Wallonia, in the south of the nation, is where the Wallons inhabit and they are French speakers. Collectively, both regions form this kingdom whose capital is in Brussels, commonly known as the capital of Europe and the headquarters of the European Union. At the world's greatest beauty contest, Belgium debuted in 1954 and reached the Top 5 in 1962. This year Belgium is represented by Cilou Annys, who won the Miss Belgium 2010 pageant last December. She will try to end Belgium's drought in Miss World, whose last placement happened back in 1996.

Interview with Miss Belgium 2010
1. Give us an introduction of yourself.

Hi, my first name is Cilou and last name is Annys. I was born on the 20th of March 1991 in the beautiful town, Bruges. I have 2 great sisters. One is currently studying as a fashion designer, my other sister is in primary school and changes her mind every day on what she wants to do later. My little brother is a very lively and active ten year old.

2. Tell us a bit more about your country and hometown.
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO.
Belgium divided in two main linguistic parts, the Dutch-speakers and the French-speakers, and also a small group of German-speakers.
My hometown is Bruges, also known as Venice of the North of Europe due to its canals and great scenery. It is a beautiful medieval town which attracts tourists from all over the world.

3. What does it mean to you to represent your country at Miss World?
It is a great honor! I am very proud of my country and heritage and I’m happy and proud to introduce my country to the whole world.

4. What preparations have you done so far for the Miss World final?

I have joined Faces 4 Faces and I’m currently the ambassador of this Belgian organization. www.faces4faces.be

Its main focus: bringing awareness to children from wealthier regions to the fact that a lot of children in the world don’t have equal opportunities. To help this organization raising money for poor homeless children in Cambodia, I asked the help of all the new candidates for Miss Belgium. Faces4 faces is asking 1 euro/year to be a member, and this money goes totally to this poor children , to give them a home. All together we will search for as many members as we can during the months July , August and September. This will be my own accomplishment to use my title to help poor children.



I have also done some volunteering for the impoverished children in my hometown and would like to continue on doing so on a more national or global scale.



5. If you have to describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?

Enthousiast (Dutch) = Enthusiastic



6. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

I would like to start an independent business/ Art Gallery with the main focus on the promotion of new upcoming talents.



7. Would you prefer being beautiful and rich or poor and smart?

Inner beauty and inner richness is so much more important than the exterior beauty. I’m working on a Belgian campaign about “Poverty, it could happen to me as well”. Because of the financial crisis, we need to be aware that it can happen to all of us all of the sudden.



8. Which well known person from your country you most admire and why?

Paul Janssen, I think he is a great example of a man’s passion, ambition and drive, to be successful an helpful for mankind at the same time. His company (Janssen Pharmaceutics) has had major breakthrough in AIDS research and is still working hard at it.

Mr. Janssen and his Team of scientists discovered more than 80 new medicines. Four of his medicines are on the WHO list of essential medicines.



9. If you had to choose any other country to live in, which one would you choose and why?

I think every country has their own charms , but I would choose a country without prejudices and racism.



10. What do you think is the biggest problem facing the world today and what should be done about it?

Selfishness and indifference: Ask not what your neighbor can do for you, but what you can do for your neighbor.



11. Do you believe a beauty queen should be politically correct when answering a controversial subject question or should she express her personal views on the issue?

She should be politically correct, because she represents an organization and not herself.



12. What do you most look forward to about the Miss World Festival?

Meeting the other contestants and hearing more about their countries.



13. The winner of Miss World will be the 60th Miss World. Which former winner do you most admire and why?

I admire all of them, because they all stand for certain ideals and it took a lot of hard work to accomplish their title. The one thing that they all have in common is the fact that they support charity organizations.



14. The motto of Miss World is Beauty with a Purpose. What does Beauty with a Purpose mean to you?

It’s a tool to bring awareness to the rest of the world for the underprivileged.



15. Share a message to your supporters and readers of World of Misses.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.



and finally...

Star Sign: Pisces

Personal Motto: Nil Satis Nisi Optimum (means “nothing but the best is good enough”)

Favorite Food: Japanese

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Song: Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves by Annie Lennox

Favorite Movie: 7 pounds

Favorite Book: Leaving Microsoft to change the world

Favorite Singer/Band: Beyoncé

Favorite Actor/Actress: Nicholas Cage