Under the theme ‘True Sons of the Soil’, ten contestants will compete for the first ever Mr Guyana International title.
The aims of the competition are to foster the knowledge of its participants in their responsibilities as men in society; to encourage men to take a stand in the fight against many of the social issues affecting them; to create a sense of self-styling, self-respect and self-motivation as it relates to their personal wellbeing in a socially acceptable environment; and realising their self-worth and fostering their will power to achieve their goals.
The mission of Mr Guyana International is empowering men to empower themselves, their communities and fellow men.
The local competition has several segments and will test the contestants’ strength both physically and mentally and last night saw the staging of the Swimwear Competition and Runway Challenge aspect of the competition.
The Talent and Question and Answer segments go down next week and the Final at the Pegasus Hotel on November 2.
The competitors:
Stowell Betham
The 25-year-old, who describes himself as a very down-to-earth, determined and ambitious individual has made a number of appearances in the fashion world, including strutting the catwalk at Guyana Fashion Week. He has also had experience working with a number of local modelling agencies. An activist for HIV awareness in Guyana, Stowell also enjoys doing philanthropic work in his spare time. He is also currently at the University of Guyana (UG) pursuing a degree in Social Work and is employed in the hospitality industry as a supervisor. His platform is ‘Raising Awareness about Herpes in Society Among Men’ and Stowell explained that this sexually transmitted disease is often overshadowed by the awareness and emphasis placed on HIV.
Alexander Noel Fiedtkou
Born on March 10, 1994, he is a member of the Pisces family. Alexander was born to Guyana’s famous cyclist Noel Fiedtkou and wife Marcia Fiedtkou. He is the oldest of three children and enjoys numerous hobbies. An athlete, he has played and succeeded in numerous sport disciplines. At the age of nine, Alexander was Guyana under nine Table Tennis Champion. This streak continued until he was 13. He later moved on to being a force to reckon with at the annual inter-schools and national schools’ athletic championships where he participated in cycling, swimming track and field, cricket and football. He then started squash which ended after his first competition and a third place trophy. He then moved in to the field of motor racing as a junior karter and became one of the fastest on the South Dakota Circuit. His platform for this competition is ‘Crime and Unemployment’. One of his many passions is to be a role model for children; to show them that if you set your heart to something it can be achieved and that everything you do can make a difference and make you a better person tomorrow.
Paul Anthony Charles
He lives by the saying love the life you live and live the life you love. Paul Anthony Charles was born on April 20, 1986 and is a teacher, dancer and choreographer. He describes himself as a determined and an ambitious person, who dreams to one day to establish his own foundation to help youths. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends, going for long walks, cooking, camping and of course dancing. Additionally one of his dreams is to become an international dance choreographer. His platform for this competition is ‘Causes and Effects of dropping out of School’. He believes that every child needs education, which is the key to success. He noted that in Guyana the youths who drop out of school are most likely to be unemployed, homeless and incarcerated. Paul is inspired by his mother’s teaching which is based on striving for success and higher heights through hard work and perseverance.
Curt Walcott
Curt Walcott is on a mission to help the fatherless. Curt is no stranger to the public eye, having made appearances on the GT&T Jingle and Song Competition. Many people know Curt Junior Walcott, as an exceptional and powerful singer but this local entertainer is about to embark on a journey to help those, who like himself, were raised without a father. Born on September 10, 1989 at Georgetown Public Hospital, Paul is set on being an inspirational model in the Mr Guyana International Competition. He said that being part of such a competition would allow him to interact with youths, like himself, who are fatherless and have hopes of making a difference in their lives.
Kevin William Bhagrat
Born in Suriname on June 20, 1992, Kevin takes on ‘Suicide in Guyana’ as his platform. Kevin has been modelling for several years now. His experiences include Guyana Fashion Week. He’s also done several fashion shows in various parts of Guyana. He stated that his most memorable experience would have to be when he was selected as Mr Guyana United Nations 2013 to represent Guyana at the United Nations Pageant which was held in Miami, Florida at the Sukee Resort and Casino in November of 2013. His expectation on completion of the Mr Guyana International Competition is not only to have won the grand title but also to have become a better young man in every area of his life. Also he hopes to have made an impact on bringing awareness to suicide and letting his peers know that there is an alternative and suicide is not the way out. He hopes to do this by hosting seminars/workshops where he will be able to educate them about suicide.
Colwyn Abrams
Colwyn Arvey Abrams was born on May 31, 1992 in Coomacka, an Amerindian village just outside of Linden. He took part in numerous competitions such the GT&T Jingle and Song Competition of 2011 and 2013. In April 2012, Colwyn took part in Guyana Model Search and Designers Portfolio. He was the winner of the stylist challenge award. In October 2013, Colwyn took part in Guyana Fashion Week with his collection called ‘Modern Day Man’ winning the prize for outstanding collection, and earning the opportunity to display his collection on one of Guyana Fashion Week’s international nights. Colwyn’s platform is ‘Raising Awareness of Prostate Cancer – Early Detection is Life’. He saw the competition as the perfect way to get the issue out in the open and to help save lives.
Christon Pollard
Born on January 19, 1995, Christon is strong, confident, ambitious and humble. He has his mind set on like to attend the University of Guyana to pursue a degree in Biology and to be a qualified gynaecologist one day. Christon enjoys singing, running and reading. He loves the work of Martin Carter and admired Nelson Mandela. He lives by the philosophy ‘One is bound to excel at anything and make his/her dream a reality, with hard work and determination.’ Christon’s platform for this competition is ‘Peer Pressure’.
Kevin Smith
Born under the zodiac sign of Scorpio on November 9, 1995 Kevin believes he can bring joy and happiness to everyone around him. Kevin, who currently works at the Guyana Revenue Authority, is actively involved in drama, dancing, poetry, street football and basketball. He also enjoys social media, reading, and meeting people of interest. His role model is local attorney James Bond.
Pageantry is nothing new to him. He was a contestant of the Mr Guyana Talented Teen 2013 pageant, which has given him the confidence to step up to this challenge of competing for the Mr Guyana International title. Kevin has chosen ‘Male Underachievement’ as his platform for this competition because he strongly believes that males underachieve because they are shortcut seekers, never wanting to go the long way.
Raphael Gavin October
Born on September 18, 1991, Raphael is second child of three children. He grew up in a single parent home in Campbellville. Raphael gains strength from his mother, his pastor and the late Bob Marley. His personal motto comes from Bob Marley, who once said, “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” Raphael’s platform is ‘Equality Discrimination against male pageantry.’ Raphael is of the view that the competition is the best way to highlight/ sensitise persons discriminated against for male pageantry across the world. If Raphael wins this competition he promises to use this competition and his life experience to encourage others that nothing is impossible.
Ryan Washington
Ryan was born on December 11, 1994. He enjoys dancing, singing and of course modelling. He is a Customer Service Representative at one of Digicel’s agents: (Cellular plus) and plans to continue working hard towards making his future a brighter one. His platform is ‘Music and its influence on young men’ since he finds that many of the actions and decisions taken by men today are based on songs that they have heard and continue to feed their souls with. He plans to continue his quest for good and wholesome music to be played on all forms of media as it is said that ‘music is food for the soul’. He encourages young men to fuel their lives with music that will teach them to love and respect women and trust God.
