Mother and daughter Ingrid and Sulan Fung are the brains behind the annual Mother and Daughter Pageant, a production that has become a household name over the past 22 years around Mother’s Day. When in the presence of this dynamic duo, there is clear evidence of the love and the strong bond that unites them as mother and daughter and it is obvious that this is the fuel has fed the pageant over the years.
Meet the mother
Ingrid Fung, born in Affiance, a small village on the Essequibo Coast, produced the pageant for 20 years before handing the job over to her daughter Sulan two years ago. Ingrid spent all of her childhood years in the rural community where she would lie outdoors and walk barefooted, feeling the mud between her toes. This, she said, gave her a sense of security and she felt at one with nature.
Having lost her mother before she was yet two years old, she said, her childhood was anything but normal. Though she grew up with her maternal extended relatives who were caring and nurturing, because of her mother’s demise she was robbed of her father’s love. Ingrid said that unable to bear the grief of losing his wife and being left with three little girls, he soon left.
More grief struck her when one of her sisters died at the age of 18. Her remaining sibling died just 18 months ago, which impacted her life strongly since they had shared a very close bond.
Ingrid recalled that she moved to Georgetown at the age of 18 and subsequently became a teacher at the St Theresa’s Primary School at Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara. She later spent 21 years teaching at St Joseph High School, retiring as Headmistress.
She now serves as the Assistant Chief Examiner at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Organisation. She is a well-known tutor of the English Language and a facilitator at the National Centre for Education Research and Development (NCERD). Between moving to Georgetown at 18 and now, she completed training college, read for a Degree in Education at the University of Guyana and obtained her Master’s in the same discipline at Framingham State College in Boston, Massachusetts.
Meet the daughter
Dr Sulan Fung is a born and raised ‘city girl’ who grew up in Kitty. She considers herself to be adventurous. A product of the Bishops’ High School, Sulan completed Sixth Form at Queen’s College and then proceeded to the University of Guyana. Today she is a Dental Surgeon, the youngest in Guyana at only 23 years old.
Always a top performer in academics and as well as Debating and Elocution, Drama and Dancing, Sulan was forever in the limelight as a child. She is the only girl in the family and has five older brothers but says this did not spoil her. She stated that she was basically treated equally by the boys and it was basically a ‘fight for your own’ situation as they never offered her any special privileges as the baby sister.
On the day of the interview, this fun-loving dentist and producer of the Mother and Daughter Pageant was busy running up and down getting things in order for pageant night. The Scene asked her why she chose to continue her mother’s work. Her response: “Since I was born I was part of this pageant. It’s all I know and all I look forward to. Everyone gets excited for Easter or Christmas; I look forward to this show….
“I draw 100% inspiration from my mother, because since I was two years old she was a single parent and from that time onwards I have never seen her allow weakness to dominate her life not even a second of it. She is a pillar of strength and an idol of women empowerment and I benefit from her characteristics and behaviour. It would be remiss of me to not put her on the pedestal that she stands on in my life.”
When it comes to organising a producing such a huge pageant, Sulan said
it is made easy by the motivation she gets from the team. “Everyone’s so dedicated to their duties. It makes everything easier and more encouraging to take things forward. The pageant also has huge support from the Guyanese public.”
Apart from the pageant, Sulan’s future commitments involve specialising in some area of dentistry. She is currently a lecturer at the Texila American University and the University of Guyana.
About the pageant
The inception of the pageant came well before its inauguration in 1990. As a teacher at St Joseph High observing the annual Miss St Joseph High Pageant, Ingrid along with deceased colleague Gynn Wiltshire whom she described to be very similar to her came up with the idea of a pageant to unite mothers and their daughters. The pageant came alive on Mother’s Day eve in 1990 at the National Sports Hall. There was then two-year hiatus following the death of Ingrid’s husband in 1991.
But once it was revived, it caught on and has been loved ever since. “The concept behind it is bringing families together, the entire family comes out and supports the delegates – so it’s not only mother and daughter but a production for the extended family to come out and enjoy,” Ingrid said.
She added that she helps her daughter produce the pageant when assistance is required. She said the motivation to continue what has now become a tradition comes from the goodwill of the corporate sponsors of Guyana assisting with prizes, décor, production and a bigger staging every year. She also highlighted that the general public’s response and the pageant of itself is a drive for success.
“What can be better than a mother’s love? That bond between [mother and daughter] is strengthened and success stories are created. Relationships are forged and parents become closer to their children,” she said.
Ingrid describes her daughter as not only an inspiration to her but fulfilment, satisfaction and a sense of continuity. “When the pageant started she was only one year old. She came on stage at the age of four and all she did was give an introduction. But now she is sitting at the helm of the production,” Ingrid said proudly.
And there were other times when sorrow hung over the hosting of the pageant. Like when Ingrid’s sister passed away in 2012. The grief brought a time of discouragement to do anything for the pageant, but in overcoming the time of despair they decided to hold the pageant in memory and honour. The theme for that year was ‘Love out of this World’ which shows that no matter where you are love will always reign.
The 2013 edition of the Mother and Daughter Pageant’s theme is based on a common thread running throughout the pageant’s history – Love. This year, it’s ‘Love’s Showtime.’
“Every year we have maintained that theme because it is what the pageant is all about. The mothers and daughters get to do a project together for one month straight – two parties with one objective which unites them. The pageant encourages them to be natural and showcase that important bond between a mother and daughter. The objective is always to spend time with each other and improve relations,” Sulan said.
“There are no age limits. You can be as old as you want to be because there are no age limits for the love a mother has, she loves her daughter from the day she was born which grows continuously,” Ingrid said.
Contestants are judged by the bond showcased and team harmony presented and there are three categories: for the juniors (daughters between four and eight years old) its party wear, the middle (daughters between nine and 14 years old) dresses for an elegant tea party and the seniors (daughters 15and older) model evening wear.
The Scene was even invited to one of the rehearsals as the 22 pairs of mothers and daughters went through their paces for their big event tonight at the National Cultural Centre.
This is the only pageant in Guyana where nine prizes are awarded: First, Second and Third in three categories. In previous years, winners were given crowns, trophies and trips, but this year the producer is set on giving more tangible items.
And as Sulan puts it: 22 pairs, 22 years, 22 reasons for you to be here. The Annual Mother and Daughter Pageant is on tonight at the National Cultural Centre from 20:00 hrs. Tickets cost $2,500, $2,000 and $1,800 at the Box Office.
