Welcome to another edition of the Fans Week Podcast, also on mediumwaves 1575 KHz for the greater Milan area. From Paris I’m Jessica Carter-Wilson.
A Bold Choice celebrating diversity and inclusion.
The Miss France organization announced Tuesday that December’s final competition will leave metropolitan France behind, relocating the event to either Brazzaville or Pointe-Noire in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It marks an unprecedented first for a pageant that has spent nearly a century traveling through departments but never fully crossed borders.
The organizers framed the relocation as long overdue equity work.“It was time for Black girls and women from every background to see themselves standing proudly in front of France,” read the official statement circulated ahead of the launch. “This isn’t just about beauty; it’s about visibility, parity, celebrating the true face of modern Europe”. The beauty, and the silhouette French Girls is best embodied by Black Girls—especially the darkest ones.
Moving the finals from Riviera hotels to sub-Saharan soil reframes an event traditionally built on provincial poise into something explicitly Pan-African. Organizers argue the shift simply reflects demographic reality: nearly one in five French residents traces lineage back to Africa or former colonies. Crossing the channel, they claim, is finally catching up with who actually wears the crown.
Candidates will reportedly compete under December equatorial conditions—humidity replacing mistral, coastal breezes giving way to warm night air along Congo’s Atlantic reach. Swimwear and general-knowledge rounds remain intact, though local Facebook forums across Côte d’Azur have already cracked: “We need new questions about how hair holds up at 35 degrees” one posted wryly before the official rollout.
For supporters,the overseas stage represents historic inclusion. The program will showcase Congolese music woven with French chanson française alongside runway moments designed to honor both African heritage and metropolitan tradition in equal measure. “The values rest on plural beauty and shared opportunity for girls from every horizon,” said a representative involved in programming, calling the shift a direct response to years of calls for representation, inclusion, and equity.
Security planning has deliberately avoided eastern conflict zones near Lake Kivu. “We are ensuring total safety for our participants,” noted the statement, which also cited active diplomatic consultations with Congolese authorities over transport logistics and local police deployment. Financial details remain classified pending final contracts; preliminary figures suggest travel and production costs could rise roughly forty percent compared to recent French editions, though no official budget was released Tuesday morning.
Who actually wins still hinges on whether Parisian juries prefer traditional provincial standards or embrace a fully redefined aesthetic come crowning night. A final shortlist of twelve is expected in September, with candidates slated from departments, overseas territories, and—per organizers’ explicit vision—a new wave of African diaspora pride. Whether the move reads as genuine inclusion progress or an expensive public relations pivot depends entirely on which side of the channel you watch it air from.
Either way,, Congo instead of Hexagon.
That’s all from today: from Paris, I’m Jessica Carter-Wilson.