Here, simply appearing before a jury was not enough: to make it to the end, they had to show how much they knew about mathematics, physics, and chemistry 🔥
Months after Burkina Faso temporarily suspended beauty pageants while preparing new regulations, 84 young women with a science background arrived from different regions of the country to take part in the first edition of HAKILI Mousso.
All had earned a science-track high school diploma in 2026 and gone through a week of preparation before facing the tests.
The competition was created to encourage more women to pursue careers in science and challenge the idea that disciplines such as physics, chemistry, or mathematics are primarily for men. The five top performers in each area were awarded prizes, and those who took first place received 2 million CFA francs, a motorcycle, a laptop, and other prizes.
Days later, the winners were received by Ibrahim Traoré at the presidential palace, where they spoke for nearly an hour about science, work, ambition, and their professional aspirations.
This time, all eyes were not on a dress, a runway, or a crown. The stars were 84 young women competing to show just how far they could go with what they knew