MISS TEEN CARIBBEAN - BOOHEMA BOOHENE (26/08/2014)

The Ultimate Teen pageant and Talent Showcase for young girls aged 13-17 years in the UK. It was a spectacular display, which I enjoyed very much.

The pageant consisted of 7 young females representing the Islands in the Caribbean. It started with the beautiful host announcing each female, including their hobbies, interests and aspirations. This gave the audience a deeper understanding of each young girl, and what they enjoy during their spare time. The host had a rather strong, and what sounded like a Bajan accent. This gave the event a more authentic feel and portrayed a strong image of culture to the audience. Each female took to the stage gracefully performing a talent such as dancing, singing or spoken word. I could only imagine the type of day the girls had encountered, and how much preparation was involved beforehand. Making sure they model correctly and remembering to look at the audience and camera's at the same time.

 It was all a bit too much for 17 year old Renee Cocker who broke down in tears on stage, whilst performing her spoken word piece. The audience however encouraged her to carry on and cheered for her to be confident. After overcoming her fears and realising she was strong enough to perform, Renee delivered a beautiful piece which many enjoyed. 

The show then continued with a cat walk, as each girl walked down the stage in style, as if they were a part of the popular TV show ‘Britain’s next top model'. The dresses worn each had a elegant shine with diamonds sparkling in each corner. I couldn't take my eyes off Gabrielle Joseph's long pink princess gown. My eyes weren't used to absorbing so much light at once.

During intervals the DJ kept the audience, happy and bubbly whilst entertaining us with popular reggae music which many of the older generation enjoyed, as it reminded them of back home. Although I am African I really felt welcomed and embraced by the Caribbean people at the event and with the music it helped to set the scene.

The last section of the pageant showed the level of intelligence and innovative skills each girl had. They were each asked one question about their specific Island such as " How can we get the young Jamaican people in this country to know more about their culture". One of the contestants Taneka Miles answered by saying schools in the UK could partner up with Jamaican schools and students could be pen pals, to find out more about life in each country. It will also create a larger and stronger community. 

It was coming towards the end of the show and parents and the families were all sitting down nervous, as they wanted their child to win. Although it was a competition it was definitely made clear that the Caribbean people are still a Diaspora, as they all supported each other. After waiting impatiently for the winner to be announced. The host crowned 15 year old Gabrielle Joseph from Trinidad and Tobago as Miss Teen Caribbean. Gabrielle was surprisingly shocked and burst into a flood of tears. It was such a wonderful moment for us all to witness and everybody was delighted for her.

Gabrielle will now be a young ambassador for the Caribbean and will be responsible for many tasks concerning her Island in the future. Each contestant looked very pleased when the event ended and I’m sure it was an experience they will never forget.