Then, ever so slowly, her eyes never leaving her now captive audience, she began untying the voluminous cape she was wearing, which matched her lemon-yellow strapless contour-hugging gown, letting it slip seductively off her young shoulders and fall unheeded to the ground.

Then, without warning, she turned on her heels and confidently strode towards the short flight of stairs that would take her to the stage proper so she could parade before the judges.

The audience went wild.

Unable to contain himself, someone shouted: “Look Miss UG!”

The occasion was the eagerly-anticipated Miss University of Guyana (UG) contest, the sixth to date, which saw eight of the original 11 delegates vying for the coveted title Sunday night last at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) on Mandela and Homestretch Avenues.

It didn’t take much genius to figure out that the night belonged to 19-year-old aspiring lawyer, Luann DeCosta, even though she made a hash of …. ‘A Moment Like This’ during the talent segment, much to the annoyance of even her staunchest supporters.

Thandi McAllister, on the other hand, who has not been doing too well of late in the line of pageantry in spite of her natural beauty, and might be well advised to take up singing instead, acquitted herself admirably with her stirring rendition of Vanessa Williams’ ‘Colour of the Wind’.

The only other contestant to have equaled her in talent was the rather assertive third-runner-up, Jessica Chand, another crowd favourite, whose contemporary Indian dance piece earned her not only a resounding applause from the audience, but the prize for ‘Best Talent’ also.

The judges thought, however, that McAllister had about the most engaging of smiles and awarded her for it. Her undoing in the intelligence segment was choosing a platform that had hitherto been the subject of much controversy and butt of many an unsavoury joke, namely the ‘Conservation of Marine Turtles in Guyana’.

Even before she could open her mouth to explain what she would do to conserve the species, she was subjected to suppressed titters which eventually grew into an avalanche of raucous ribaldry.

QUEENS IN A ROW: From left, Ms Guyana Universe 2003, Leanna Damond; Miss UG 2003 Luann DeCosta; Miss Guyana World 2002, Odessa Phillips.
As for the other contestants, they too had their moments, particularly the two other finalists, Genevieve Blackman and Christa Simmons, who placed second and third respectively.

That they were able to reach the finals at all was based on their sterling performance during the introductory opening sequence, and the talent, evening wear and intelligence segments in that order.

Blackman, who looked stunning in a simply cut lilac and silver-trimmed spaghetti-strapped gown, chose as her platform topic ‘The Recent Upsurge in Crime’, which she said was largely influenced by “unemployment, drug abuse, and….” The rest was lost in the tumultuous applause which erupted even before she could finish what she was saying.

For her talent piece, she did a combination of contemporary Indian dances, which, though better executed than some of the evening’s other dance presentations, and did manage to meet with the audience’s approval, lacked imagination and creativity.

Simmons, who was sponsored by the local label, Cole Facts, fared far better in the intelligence segment than she did talent-wise, contending that she chose ‘Illiteracy in Guyana’ as her platform because of her recognizance that our educational standard has fallen from what it used to be and that illiteracy is a social problem in which every Guyanese should be involved in eradicating.

“I chose illiteracy because I’m concerned; I am ready to go out there and do my work,” the Social Sciences undergraduate said. Her talent piece was Mariah Carey’s ‘Hero’, which she heroically saw to the end in spite of the flack she took for her lack of vocal control in its execution. Her stage performance, however, was magnificent, as was the red number she wore.

Another creation which had some potential, but for its propensity to spill boobs, was the one worn by Delegate Number Five, Felisha Hooper, who took her HIV/AIDS platform so seriously, she even composed a special dramatic poem entitled ‘Don’t’, as in “don’t hate me because I am HIV-positive,” which she did as her talent piece. Her failing was too much melodrama and not enough attention to delivery.

The ‘Queen’, who took as her platform ‘The Plight of Guyana’s Street Children’ vowed that in order to protect them she would “enforce a Law which says that every street child should be placed into a home where they could be given that love, attention and care that is needed.”

She later said, in response to the final question as to what words of wisdom would she leave the youth of Guyana: “Stay positive; remain focused; and keep on that road to achieve your goal, “at which point someone in the audience said “Amen!” Continuing, she said: “Through education can come anything; education is the key to success.”

With the exception of Chand, who stuck to her guns in keeping with her ‘Gender Equality’ platform, this latter entreaty was to be the mantra of the two remaining finalists.

In a telephone interview with the Sunday Chronicle the night after the pageant, DeCosta, who bears a striking resemblance to former Miss Guyana World, Olive Gopaul, confessed that she herself was surprised when she was declared the winner.

“I was very, very excited; I couldn’t believe it. Everyone had their eyes on Thandi because of her experience,” the second-year Law student declared.

She was even more excited, she said, when she learnt that she was indeed going to be the proud owner of a brand new car. She had heard the rumour before, about the prospect of a car being among the queen’s dowry, but had not given it much thought since the arrangement was yet to be finalised with the donors, King Solomon Enterprises.

The third of four children and younger of two girls, she said she not only had her family rooting for her on the night of the pageant, but close friends and all her classmates as well. At one point, she said, friends were so overjoyed that she had won, they openly cried.

Their initial shock over, they are now busy making elaborate plans about how they are going to use the vehicle.

And, in a moving pre-recorded televised speech which aired as she took her final walk, past queen, and final year biology student, Kelecia Liverpool said: “I never knew the need for the basic necessities in life that children face until I met with group of deprived children in our community. Helping them, especially with their education, was one of the most fulfilling things I could have done. I do intend to continue in this path by mobilising my efforts to effect change.”

Noting that her platform was ‘The Role of Women in Modern Society’, she said it is “a role which I still believe should be defined by that woman providing it makes a positive impact on every generation, and fulfills her need. I will not stop believing this until all my dreams on the issue have been realised.

“Something that has moved her to tears,” she said, “was seeing women and children being taken advantage of; being abused. My hope is that some day, this will end. With war in the air, the fresh smell of innocent blood; the tears of grown men, women and children, I beg for peace. I implore you fellow lovers of humanity, make every effort to stop the killings.

“My advice to our youth is: Be careful; let not your eyes, ears, and emotions deceive you. Yes! I would advise any ambitious young woman to contest the ‘Miss UG’ pageant; it boosted my confidence, and I am sure it will yours. And, if I could do it all over again, without hesitation, I would.”

To her successor, she said: “May you wear the crown with the dignity and pride my predecessors and I wore it.” And, to the other contestants: “Best of luck in the future.”

The evening’s proceedings were spiced up by performances from the young balladeer, Ossie Nedd, who also serenaded the eight delegates as they awaited the judges decision as to who would make it to the finals, and members of the support group, Artistes In Direct Support (AIDS), which did a skit entitled ‘Positive or Negative’ which dealt with the stigma suffered daily by those living with HIV and AIDS.