African Student Wins Mr. Siberia Title with French Rap

20-year-old Trezor Ligan from Benin never imagined he would become popular in a small Siberian town. The young man flew to Barnaul to study programming at Altai State Polytechnic University, and in his free time, he conquered the runway, winning the title of Mr. Siberia — 2025.

Read about the difficulties he faced upon arriving in Russia, why he wanted to return home, and why he decided to showcase himself on the runway in the material by NGS22.RU.

“Mom Asked Me to Wear a Hat”

Trezor Ligan arrived in Altai Krai just over a year ago — as soon as he finished school, a state program gave him the opportunity to study in Russia. Despite all fears, the young man did not refuse this chance, so he decided to study programming in Barnaul:

— “I like new technologies and everything related to them. Probably that«s why I decided to try myself in this direction,” the foreigner reflects.

The first few months in Russia were difficult for Trezor, since even simple everyday situations, like going to the store, required knowledge of Russian, and mastering it was not easy:

— “I would come to the store and realize I didn«t know what to say, even though I needed the most ordinary things. Russian in general was hard to learn, especially stresses and cases, since the main language in Benin is French. At the preparatory faculty, we had a good teacher who helped a lot: we read a lot, retold, learned new words, and communicated with those who have been living in Russia for several years.”

Due to language difficulties, the guy thought about returning home, but his mother convinced him to stay.

— “She supported me very much. She said that if other guys from Africa could learn Russian, then I certainly could. She worried that it«s cold here, so every day she told me to wear a hat,” the young man smiles.

Initially, the harsh Siberian climate seemed unbearably cold to him — in Benin, the air temperature never dropped below +15°C (59°F), so −1°C (30°F) in Barnaul scared Trezor, but after a month, the guy got used to it and realized that the main thing is indeed to dress warmly.

What surprised the foreigner the most was how people reacted to him when he first arrived in Barnaul. According to Trezor, he often noticed passersby looking at him and didn«t understand why everyone was staring:

— “I was shocked, it was impossible to walk the streets, but then I was explained that in Russia this happens because many have never seen black skin, so they are surprised. Once, someone even came up and asked if they could take a photo with me. Why with me? What for? In my country, no one paid attention to me.”

“Difficult and Nerve-wracking”

In Barnaul, Trezor also caught the attention of Tatyana Zhilina«s modeling agency, whose representatives invited him to try modeling. At first, he was even a bit scared — he didn»t believe that a real person was writing to him and that the agency actually existed. He asked friends for advice, then turned to the internet and realized he could give it a try:

— “When I came to the casting — I saw so many handsome men, even more handsome than me, but I still decided to try, to see how I would manage.”

The preparation for the competition itself took 2 months — during this time, the young people prepared creative performances, learned to walk the runway and show their best sides, had photoshoots, and prepared competition stories about themselves:

— “The last one turned out to be the most difficult for me. I stood alone, in front of me were about a hundred Russian people. How could I speak their language so that they all understood me? It was difficult and nerve-wracking.”

To show his creative side, Trezor took the stage with a friend, where he performed rap in French, which finally convinced the jury that the guy deserved the title of Mr. Siberia — 2025:

— “After the final, I sent my mom photos, she was shocked but very happy. All of Siberia — and I am the winner. I don«t know yet if I will continue with this. Maybe my victory is just a miracle?” reflects Mr. Siberia.

In his free time, Trezor enjoys music and reading, and also doesn«t miss the chance to chat with friends. By the way, one of his favorite places in Barnaul is Nagorny Park, which offers a panoramic view of the city that once temporarily became home to the native African.

— “In Barnaul, I really like the people, they seem all kind, and I managed to find many friends — both from Russia itself and from Africa,” Trezor concluded.