Cape Verde's First International Beauty Queen

Ivanilda Reis (with permission of MWA Int.)

While there are beautiful people the world over, Cape Verde is reputed to have more than its fair share. As the old adage goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." But Cape Verde may put that adage to the test as there are more than a few Cape Verdeans who are undeniably beautiful by any measure. One such example is Ivanilda Reis.

On December 18, 2011, Ms. Reis, or "Vanny" as she prefers to be called, became Cape Verde's very first international beauty queen when she was crowned winner of the Miss West Africa International 2011 contest held in Banjul, Gambia. The contest included talented young women from 24 countries in West Africa. Vanny dedicated her win to the late Césaria Évora, Cape Verde's world reknown "Barefoot Diva", who passed away the day before Vanny's historic win.

Vanny, 26 years old, is a professional model with experience in Cape Verde and Brazil. She has an active and ambitious agenda. She is also a fitness instructor with a passion for health issues and healthy living. She had been the editor of the fashion magazine, Kriola, and is preparing to launch her own online fashion mag as well as her own branded line of clothes for women and men. She is now in the process of launching Cape Verde's first school for fashion models. Her goal is not simply to teach students how to become successful models but to educate these youth in business subjects so that they can be successful business-women and men who are able to make there way in the world when they are no longer on the fashion stage.

Furthermore, Vanny is a youth leader in Cape Verde who is actively involved in charitable causes. Her charity in Cape Verde is called WeDoCare and its mission is to assist seniors in Cape Verde. According to Vanny, "the issues of aging are well known in America, Europe and Asia. But Africa is a very young continent. So its seniors have become an invisible population whose issues have been lost among the issues of youth." With her win in Gambia, Vanny plans to raise the profile of the challenges faced by seniors, such as loneliness, immobility and health issues. She also hopes to raise donations through her cause, WeDoCare.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ... the sweet sound of mosquitoes buzzing in your ears!

There is nothing more irritating than the high-pitched squeal of a mosquito intent on relieving you of some blood as it circles around your head while you are trying to sleep. I've never met a mosquito I liked.

Mosquitoes thrive in hot, wet climates and breed in standing water and their eggs can survive in dry conditions and then hatch a year later if they become wet. Fortunately (or unfortunately in other contexts), Cape Verde is not blessed with an over-abundance of fresh water, yet mosquitoes are found in the islands especially in the rainy season. It's actually hilarious that there is a "rainy" season in Cape Verde - it falls in the second half of the year - because Cape Verde gets an average of about 25 cm of rainfall per year! Believe me, don't pack the umbrella.

But still, these little critters are universally annoying. On many of the online travel sites, the biggest complaint registered by vacationers relate to mosquitoes. Moreover, mosquitoes can transmit dangerous viruses. There was an outbreak of dengue in 2009 in Cape Verde, but not of epidemic proportions. And mosquitoes are also known to transmit malaria in sub Saharan Africa. The government ministry of health, with the assistance of the World Health Organization, took all the necessary steps to minimize mosquito breeding and reduce the threat of mosquito-born illnesses. Today, the likelihood of being infected by either virus is insignificant.

Still, the question anyway is what you should personally do to banish these pests to oblivion and prevent them from ruining your vacation especially if you are in Cape Verde during the period of August through November.

There are several steps you could take.