–as Linden hosts first ever ‘Miss CariExpo’ pageant

THE Community Development Council (CDC) of Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice) will be hosting a Miss CariExpo pageant slated for July 1, as part of its calendar of activities for the CARICOM weekend.

The event is billed for the Christianburg Community Centre Ground, and according to the organisers, this pageant promises to be one with a difference, since it will be taking a more cultural approach, and aims at showcasing the culture of the various Caribbean nations in CARICOM, while being informative at the same time.

And while each contestant will be representing the various countries to which they belong, they will also be representing the communities in which they reside. Again, while the girls will each get a chance to flaunt their pageantry abilities, their beauty and their intelligence, the focus will be more on how well they sell their countries to the judges.

Already, Contestant Number One, Shellon Massiah, who is representing Antigua and Barbuda, has promised that she will be focusing on the opportunities of tourism available in her country, so as to intrigue persons wanting to go there on holiday.
Points will be derived from the delegates performance at the parade, their cultural wear, and the evening gown segment.

Massiah said that though she has a lot of experience at pageantry and modelling, she is very excited about bringing her expertise to this particular pageant, which has attracted a representative from each of the 15 countries in the regional bloc, and is widely regarded as the first pageant of this nature in Region Ten.

“I entered this pageant because it is a pageant with a difference, and at the moment, I’ve been encountering some great hurdles, so I needed something to cheer me up, “ Massiah said, adding: “Knowledge is power, and I expect to take away the knowledge about the history, culture and diversity of these CARICOM countries.”

The other contestants are Ashley Nicholas of Bahamas; Renneaka Cornette of Barbados; Tandy Henry of Dominica; Shelacy Wittaker of Grenada; **Stefon of Guyana; Alicia Bentick of Haiti; Alicia Martin of Jamaica; Samantha Williams of Montserrat; Shequita Talbott of St Kitts; Lydia Emanuel of St Lucia; Deshawna Dest of Suriname; Keisha Bruce of Belize; and Cassandra Smith representing St. Vincent.

Among other events slated to be held over the CARICOM weekend include a ‘green community development’ conference on Saturday; a parade; cycling; a ferry-boat race; a social event on Sunday; and a Skip- to-My-Lou, Futsal and Social on Monday July 1.