The three Guyanese who participated in the Mr and Miss Deaf International pageant in Tanzania acquitted themselves well, resulting in two of them earning top places. Veteran Sheikh Mohamed copped second runner-up, while Anthonio Johnson was adjudged fourth runner-up at the November 27th competition. The other member of the trio was Reshma Seemangal.
Although their journey to Tanzania was not easy, Head of the Deaf Association Sabine McIntosh, told this newspaper, they proudly represented their homeland by showcasing various aspects of Guyanese culture and art. They lacked support from their homeland, they sadly shared, but they stepped out to dominate and educate their fellow hearing impaired pageant brothers and sisters about the beauty of Guyana.
The pageant was part of the Deaf Cultural Arts Festival held at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Africa. It was hosted by the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, under the theme “Promoting Cultural Diversity Awareness”.
According to the trio, travelling from Guyana to Tanzania was no easy task. Not only was it costly, but they had many stops along the way. They recounted that in order to afford the trip they hosted a barbecue and a raffle. However, those fundraisers only allowed them a small amount of travel funds. They had requested funding from various ministries, but their requests fell on deaf ears. They commended the Guyana Power and Light Inc, which contributed to defray their travel expenses and helped to make it possible for them to represent Guyana on the world stage.
Arriving in Tanzania, they recalled the atmosphere being a welcoming one, people were helpful with getting them safely to places without a hassle. They were escorted from the airport to the hotel for free, and everything that they were offered was complimentary.
At the hotel, they were instantly in awe at the hundreds of artwork and colours, the vibrant people and beautifully patterned outfits that people were seen wearing. They described the people of Tanzania as warm.
Before showcasing their talents on the stage at the second annual deaf cultural arts festival, they were taken sightseeing on a jungle safari, and enjoyed making connections at an organised pool party with their fellow pageant brothers and sisters. They were also engaged in various activities involving the arts. The trio recalled their favourite aspect being the drawing and painting competition which was judged by three government officials. They pointed out the government of Tanzania is very involved with the people with disabilities and provides them with opportunities to showcase their talents and expertise. They compared the situation in Guyana with what they experienced in Tanzania and said they wished more people and the government were as involved with the disabled in creating a space for artistic expression.
In preparation for their big day on stage they practised three days per week. They also had the assistance of a deaf pageant teacher who guided them through their practice sessions leading up to the big day.
On the day of the pageant they put on a beautiful display of different aspects of Guyanese culture.
Mohamed explained that the last deaf cultural arts festival will be held next year in Thailand and they hope that this time they can take other hearing impaired individuals with different skill sets to compete and have a chance at seeing the world and making connections.
He noted that 14 countries from around the world participated in the event hosted in Tanzania and this opened his eyes as to how people with his abilities are changing the game and spaces that are opened for them to be expressive in their own rights. As such, if given the opportunity to return next year he will not compete in the pageant, he said, but rather mentor the team from Guyana setting them up for success. He is hoping that there will be much more support from the government in promoting Guyanese culture to the hearing impaired community from around the world.
