BELIZE CITY – An official visit by Miss Universe Ivory Coast Olivia Yacé evolved into a profound national dialogue about racism and self-worth after a local tour guide’s racist social media comment sparked widespread condemnation. Rather than retreating from controversy, Yacé and Miss Universe Belize Isabella Zabaneh confronted the incident directly during a special empowerment session at City Hall with teenage girls.
The event, dubbed ‘The Confidence Room,’ became an arena for candid discussion about identity, resilience, and the persistent challenges facing young women. Both beauty queens drew from personal experiences with racial prejudice to deliver powerful messages about self-acceptance.
Yacé revealed the frequent racist insults she encounters: ‘The most common one I always get is I get called a monkey a lot, an ape, a chimpanzee.’ Addressing her attackers with remarkable composure, she posed a rhetorical challenge: ‘Look at me, am I ugly guys?’
The tour guide responsible for the online remark, Alex Mes, expressed deep remorse during a phone interview, attributing his behavior to personal troubles and intoxication. ‘I would like to sincerely ask for an apology,’ Mes stated. ‘It was not my intention. I was going through a family dispute that morning and I was under the influence.’
Zabaneh shared her own emotional journey, fighting back tears as she described the pain of facing color-based criticism in her own country. ‘As a woman who represents this country you might not see the black in me,’ she told the audience, ‘but the same thing you are calling me is what my family had to suffer through too.’
Despite the initial controversy, the session culminated in a transformative experience for participants. Young attendee Abishai Staine summarized the takeaway: ‘I don’t have to listen to the opinion that people share because those opinions don’t matter. It is what I think about myself and that is what is important.’
The event demonstrated how public figures can convert negative experiences into opportunities for collective healing and empowerment, ultimately overshadowing the initial incident with a stronger message of resilience and self-worth.