Miss Teen Nubian - Mimi Akpata ( 10/09/2014)

The stage was awash with vibrant colours, Afro-beats filled the air, not to mention Azonto and Kukere moves were in full vogue and motion… very much the carnival atmosphere!

I am describing the vibrant setting of the new Afro-Caribbean beauty and cultural pageant event called Miss Teen Nubian UK. The show kicked off with a bang on the 16th of August 2014 at the Hub Studio, 90 Monier Road, Bow London E3 2ND.  The pageant was developed with the aim in mind to promote unity, whilst still embracing the diversity amongst the Afro-Caribbean community, and more importantly to showcase and celebrate the various cultural traditions.

I was one of the lucky finalists and winners, and write this in order to share my experience with you. I was first drawn to take part in this particular pageant due to the strong ethos that it embodies. Its goal was to find young females who could be ambassadors for the young Afro-Caribbean community by carrying out charitable work and other positive deeds, this really resonated with me.  I have always been interested in helping my community in any way that I can, and I hoped that this pageant would give me the opportunity to do so further. Additionally, I believed it would broaden my horizon and give me the opportunity to not only be a role model, but also a spokesperson for the young Afro-Caribbean diaspora here in the UK and abroad.

It was a fabulous night! After all the strenuous rehearsals which took place over a two week period, to finally be able to go on stage for the live show and reveal the effort of all our hard work was an absolutely amazing feeling.  The effort and time put in by the members of Miss Teen Nubian Team was unbelievable, many of which made time around their busy schedules to provide makeup, hairstyling, chorography routines, singing and modelling prep for all the contestants. They made sure that all the contestants looked and performed to their very best, their efforts were deeply appreciated by all the contestants.

There was a vast array of glamorous music and media professionals in attendance, including the likes of Lara Adegbenro and T-Boy, famously known as 'Don’t Jealous Me', who both were hosts on the night. They both made sure that the audience were entertained and joyful through-out.  The star-studded judge’s line-up included Ezi- Emela a British born Afro-beats artist, Breeny Lee a fashion model and Daniel Sync , a celebrity and events photographer.

The event went into full swing with a group dance which included all contestants. This was then followed by three rounds which were the cultural round, evening round and talent round. The talents showcased by the contestants were varied which made the show exciting to watch such acts included a saxophone recital ,poem recital, acting, dancing, singing, and martial arts just to name a few.

The judges had a tough time deciding on the winner due to the great efforts put in by all finalists. The judges even went as far as to ask all the contestants to return to the stage twice at the end, so as to see us all again. When the judges finally came to a decision it was then time to allocate awards and prizes.  Contestants were called to the stage for one final time, the air was filled with great anticipation to find out what everyone had won.  Osoro was crowned the winner of Miss Teen Nubian Queen 2014. I came 2nd and won Miss Teen Nubian 1st RU 2014 and Tiffany won Miss Teen Nubian 2nd RU 2014. 

There were also further prizes and awards given for best talents, best cultural wear, and best evening wear. After the event all the main winners were interviewed by Angie an up and coming presenter and asked what advice we could give to those who may be interested in taking part next year.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I am glad that I won one of the great titles. I hope that the pageant will be even bigger and better next year, and that I can make good use of the position that has been bestowed on to me to help my community wherever possible.

I dedicate this piece of work to contestants and Miss Teen Nubian UK MTN Management

By Michelle Akpata (Miss Teen Nubian 1ST RU UK 2014)