On August 5, the biggest local event celebrating African fashion, the Miss Emancipation pageant, will be held at the National Cultural Centre, where seven young women will compete for the crown.
According to pageant director Gabrielle Atherley o a press release, as part of the competition, they will showcase their talents, including in poetry. There is also a STEM segment that will be a crucial part of the pageant since the winner of that segment will be guaranteed a place in the final four. For that category, the young women were trained by Voltage Compong, billed as Guyana’s premier web and app-building company, which is behind the creation of popular apps in the Guyanese diaspora such as GuyMart and EzEats.
She said they will be dressed in Afrocentric professional wear made from beautiful kente fabric during the STEM category to showcase that African print can be a fashion staple of the work environment, the release said.
The evening gown segment will be the most glamorous of all with each contestant given the opportunity to showcase what she determines to be African royal evening wear with the use of prints and intricate African lace and Gele head dresses. During this segment they will be questioned on their knowledge of African history, the statement revealed.
According to Atherley, overall poise, confidence, clarity of presentation, uniqueness of the outfits/dress design, and the best smile are areas the judges will be paying keen attention to. Four finalists will emerge and will each answer the final question, after which a winner will be announced and crowned.
The winner of the pageant can choose between a medical scholarship to the Georgetown American University or a cash voucher, she will also receive a trip for two to Kaieteur Falls, sponsored by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and other gift items from Eccentric Creations 2.0 and Charming Treasures.
The first and second runners-up will receive an Essequibo day tour and an Elite Kayaking Day tour respectively, compliments of the GTA. Both will also be awarded gifts from Eccentric Creations 2.0 and Charming Treasures.
The winner of the Best Smile prize will receive a free cleaning, polishing and teeth whitening service compliments of Smile Guyana Dental Services.
The People’s Choice category winner will receive a free photoshoot compliments of Terrence Thompson Photography.
There will be consolation prizes for all the other contestants.
