– says win was God’s will
In the weeks leading up to the Ms Renaissance pageant Excellence Dazzell had a sign of what was in store for her and again, remarkably, hours before the big moment, she visualized herself proudly wearing the crown.
For her, the achievement of truly wearing it at the age of 31 is a dream come through and brings with it some of the things she wanted to do.
With a dazzling smile that added a glow to her pretty features, Excellence during a recent interview with The Scene expressed a feeling of joy and relief that it is all over.
“I am feeling great. I feel wonderful. God has shown that delay does not mean denial,” she said.
Growing up, she said, a family was always the first thing she wanted and everything else on the list came after.
She now sees herself fulfilling many things in life as well as making a vital contribution to society and the world bearing in mind that she still has a lot of scope for self-development.
Recalling the days before the pageant, Excellence said that in her mind all of the contestants were doing really well and when she realized that they all were very talented and successful, “I said to myself, there is something else I have to do to get the edge”.
For her the most important principle of God is the sowing of the seed, which means giving
thanks to God in advance for what he is going to do for you. So three weeks before the pageant she entered Archbishop Philbert London’s office with her “seed” in her hand. She recalled giving it to him and saying “I am sowing for the crown”.
Excellence told The Scene that the archbishop in turn placed his hands on her head in the shape of a crown and said “I crown you Ms Renaissance 2009”.
From that moment on she knew she was the new queen and she keep that thought alive until the announcement was made.
“I didn’t think it anymore, I knew I was queen,” she said smiling.
She said the rehearsals were very good and filled with lots of interaction. She pointed out that towards the end, instead of being bitter or competitive among each other, all the contestants became friends and started to appreciate each other’s company.
Calm, is how she described her mood on pageant day and recalled that having already acquired all the things she needed to use that night, she stayed home and rested.
“In my mind I saw myself being crowned and I enjoyed the feeling,” she recalled adding that one of things thought in church is that anything you desire, you must see yourself as having it already.
Excellence said she believed she would have been very nervous and would have secluded herself from the other contestants that night at the National Cultural Centre. However, things turned out differently as she was jovial and was not nervous at all until it was time to announce the final four.
She said she was excited about sharing her talent in the form of a song since she loved the spotlight from childhood.
Performing in front of a crowd was a joy for her but on pageant night it was a bit strange as she hadn’t performed on that stage for about ten years. During that time she performed at church gatherings.
“It felt so exciting and refreshing to be up there,” she told The Scene.
Her Marcia De Santos design which she fell in love with from the moment she laid eyes on it, also added to her excitement.
Explaining the idea behind the outfit which is a green dress with several layers of flounces, Excellence said she told the local designer that she wanted something with the colours of the flag and it must move when she moves.
Her corporate attire which was a simple red suit was sent by one of her sponsors from overseas. Speaking on her choice of colour, she explained that she believed that the attire in this country should no longer be black, grey or brown but rather professional women must look for vibrant colours so that they can stand out.
Her answer to the final question, she said, was something she had in her heart to do since she was a teenager and that is why she spoke about teenagers and HIV/AIDS.
The mother of two further explained that she was taught about sexual issues and diseases while in school and this helped her to be responsible.
She said she sees that this is no longer a feature in the education sector and believes that it should return as children are developing faster.
When she attended University of Guyana years ago her passion was to do the law programme but for some reason she ended up doing a bachelor’s degree in business management.
“When I heard of the scholarship [for the queen] I said Lord you have given me another opportunity. So I am going to do it,” she said
It was as if the package for the queen was set up just for her, she said, because it contained things she desired.
“My belief is that God purposely set up this pageant causing the organizer, one of them, to ask me to enter knowing that he wanted me to have these things just to glorify his name; that he is a God that can provide,” she said.
Another one of her desires, a trip overseas (Trinidad) is also contained in the package. She explained that she and her husband Samuel have been married for ten years but never had a honeymoon. The trip to Trinidad will take care of that.
As the new queen, Excellence wanted to become trained to deal with HIV/AIDS and sexuality issues. She will also be starting a talk show shortly.
She thanked her sponsors, family and friends for their unconditional support though her pageant preparations and on the big night.
Excellence changed her name from Oseia by deed poll earlier this year. Many knew her as Osiea Paris, Guyana’s representative at the 1997 Caribbean Song Festival in Barbados where she copped the second position.
She is the administrator at the Philbert London Ministries and this was her first pageant; something she always wanted to be a part of but was never able to fit the height criteria. (zoisa_f@yahoo.com)