Let me start by saying I wish things on Statia would start on time at least once.
Sherees Timber has done an epic job! I am sure that it is difficult to get sponsors and participants but she has done her very best and I am truly proud of her. If you're on Statia I think you should thank this young woman for helping bring much-needed culture to our children and community at large.
The Little Miss Statia pageant had wonderful contestants and they all did an amazing job. As with most competitions, it is impossible to whole-heartedly agree with every decision made by the judges but I agree with them that the best contestant of the night was miss De Palm. She had so much grace and composure. Her evening wear stole the show when she turned into a real-life jack in the box.
My criticism lies between the second and first runner-up. In the talent segment, the judges seemed as mesmerized as the crowd was by miss Redan's props that they forgot that she was supposed to be the talent! While entertaining, the humor was brought to us not be the contestant but by the actors who should have been voiceless props. Instead, they had extensive LINES! Furthermore, her performance contained a long voiceover. My preference is to have everything done live. I was far more impressed when I saw how hard De Palm and Spanner worked to recite their lines and deliver them with conviction.
Also, each contestant was prepared for the question aspect. The fact that the little girls all regurgitated an answer that they had rehearsed rubbed me the wrong way. A queen should have her own words and thoughts. The questions should have been a bit more relevant to their age group and should have raised awareness about important societal issues. Next year I want to hear about recycling, protecting marine life or even about how animals in the circus are not treated well, etc. Our kids have more in them and should be challenged.
DISCLAIMER THE FOLLOWING IS NOT MEANT TO OFFEND ANYONE AND IS MERELY A CRITICISM!
Last night the crown for Senior Carnival Queen was passed on to miss Kentonea Fortin. She recently won the place of 1st runner-up a pageant in the USA and is a capable candidate for queen. I do question why they chose to announce her instead of any of the other 2016 contestants. Notwithstanding that she is a perfect choice and I hope that her reign will be a bright one.
All of my qualms are with our former queen miss Chande Eboni Rivers. Her reign was a long one and has most likely come to a close because she is starting a family. Eboni has served our community with wisdom, poise, and grace. As an ambassador, she has embodied what it means to be a Statian and is a role model to many Statians. This being said I do not think she should have been a part of last night's show. According to all international rules, a queen should not be married or have children. Based on these rules alone Eboni could no longer be a queen and therefore should not have been on stage and definitely should not have been the one asking the girls questions during the evening wear segment.
While many may see this as no big deal this signals a deeply rooted problem within our community; we accept the unacceptable. The rest of the world will not accept our version of the rules. This case is not unique and in every other country there was an announcement made and a new queen was named. It is that simple. We need to stop doing things our and start doing them the right way!
In the coming years, I hope to see improvements. I want to Statia rise and become the best version of ourselves that we can be. Rise Statia!
XOXO,
Island Gyal
