“Life doesn’t have a remote, so get up and change it yourself,” Miss Bartica Regatta Faydeha King lives by these words, which she says she first heard from her mother and which she now uses to influence others.
She is living proof that a get up and go attitude creates change. From an early age, the now 20-year-old beauty recognised that she had a love for pageantry and she went after it.
At the age of 15, Faydeha took the Ms Corriverton Pageant title and later went on to be a runway model with acclaimed fashion designer, Sonia Noel. She furthered her experience with Sonia over the years and participated in the 2012 Model Search competition, gaining the attention of Caribbean fashion guru, Richard Young and Meleesa Payne who motivated her to enter the 2012 Ms Jamzone Pageant. She emerged the first runner-up in that pageant and moved on to the 2012 Ms Guyana-Universe Pageant where she was fourth runner-up. Finally, in the Ms 2013 Bartica Regatta pageant, she took the crown.
“I truly believe that pageantry is not only there to show a young woman’s beauty, talent, and education but is there to motivate her, build her self-esteem and give her something to stand up about which is her platform,” said Faydeha in an interview with The Scene.
Born at the Skeldon Hospital, she grew up in Corriverton, a small town she describes as traditional in many ways; an example she shared is that children addressed elders outside their family as “Aunty” and “Uncle”. She reminisced about the many weekends she spent going to the beach for fun, hanging out at the V-Power (Esso) Gas Station, fishing and bathing at Punt Trench, cleaning the fish and cooking the catch, playing hide and seek in the rice fields and her favourite game – hopscotch – which she still loves.
She has a fond connection to Scottsburg, a residential borough of the town. In her spare time she would just sit on her balcony at home and watch the lights of neighbouring Suriname over the Corentyne River.
An only child raised in an extended family, Faydeha said her stay-at-home mom was always there for her anytime. “She is always supportive in all my endeavours including modelling and pageantry. She sat down and talked to me about the importance of my career and the priorities of life,” Faydeha said.
A graduate of the Skeldon High School, Faydeha has completed one year of A-level studies at School of the Nation’s Sixth Form in New Amsterdam.
Speaking about the pageant, she said that she chose bullying as her platform, although she had previously stood against domestic violence in other pageants, because of her passion for the eradication of violence against women. It is her continuous goal in and out of pageantry to fight for awareness and counselling in Guyana.
Her plan during her reign is to focus more on the youths and she is planning to go into schools and talk about the effects of bullying, starting in Bartica.
She said her crown is her stronger voice and she plans on using it well for something she is passionate about. “I know what it [bullying] can do to the youths in our generation and I don’t want them to feel that there isn’t someone there to help them. Now that I have this crown I am going to use it to speak out.”
She gave kudos to Meleesa who serves as her guide, motivator and general inspiration. She said, “Every time I wanted to give up, she kept pushing me. I would give her one reason why I wanted to quit the pageant and in return get three reasons why I should not.”
Faydeha considers Meleesa her sister from another mother and because of this she also shares a close connection with Meleesa’s mother, Esmay Payne who is currently supporting her during her Georgetown visits.
Faydeha revealed that on pageant night, “I was not nervous at all, the pageant was so fun and I met some genuine friends – we [the contestants] started praying and singing together on the night of the pageant so that calmed us.” She said, “I went through the night with confidence not even knowing I would win but knowing that someone was there with me and that made me feel safe.”
Faydeha as a non-Bartician said winning the title felt great. “I represented Berbice from the inception. When I was told about the pageant, my friends pushed me saying that this is an opportunity to represent the county and I should go for it.”
She is down-to-earth and loves to read mystery books and watch horror films; BlackBerry Messenger is practically her life along with browsing the internet and learning new things. She said she does not drink nor party and can have fun without those things.
She is also active in a newly formed youth group created by the eight contestants of the 2013 Bartica Regatta called the New Youths Foundation where she serves as acting secretary. This organisation seeks on targeting people who are less fortunate, needy and struggling – it will not only offer assistance but train others how to counsel children and youths who have been abused in their homes or bullied at school.
On August 5, Faydeha will head to St Kitts to represent Guyana in the Miss Caribbean Culture Pageant against 13 other young women from across the region.
