Newly crowned Miss Guyana/Universe, Leanna Damond will begin training for the Miss Universe pageant with emphasis on her education in current affairs.
Damond will be representing Guyana in June at the Miss Universe pageant in Panama where she will face real competition, says franchise holder, Odinga Lumumba.
As a result Lumumba said she would have to learn about the world. He said that they intended to place the beauty queen in the “limelight” when she reached Panama as they believed that it was important for her to be exposed to the international press.
“She got to get a good package, photographs, her background history on her country, things that we can pass out to the international media when we get to Panama. We intend to have her on television and radio when we get to Washington DC.....” Lumumba told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday.
Lumumba said Robert Dover along with others in the US would be preparing her for the pageant and he said they had already contracted a professor who is a specialist in training young ladies in interviews.
“Here in Guyana we intend to call on some of our stalwarts, especially people at the University of Guyana, those people who are familiar in training people in the area of etiquette, how you speak, how you respond......”
Emphasis is also being placed on ensuring that Damond has an appropriate wardrobe as she should always be well dressed. “We intend to treat her the way a queen should be treated,” said Lumumba.
The queen was expected to visit her hometown of New Amsterdam yesterday where a motorcade had been planned for her. She is expected to return to Berbice next week where a fund-raiser is planned for her to help offset some of the expenses for her training.
Pamela Dillon and Nickolet Lumumba will be the queen’s chaperones here and abroad.
Dover said he would be working on Damond’s stage presence and also she would be in the gym to tone her body.
He said while she looks “very good” one can always improve on looks.
Ulex Atwell and Shevon Thomas were both awarded the first runner-up position which raises the vital question of who would be the queen should something happen to Damond.
Lumumba could not answer that question, stating that Miss Universe would have to direct them in dealing with that issue.
On plans for next year’s pageant Lumumba said he was planning a three-day activity. “We want to make it a week of fashion next year. Start off like on the Thursday doing different things, the Friday maybe local talent..... Our show on the Saturday, then crown it off on Sunday with an international fashion show...” He said he would be bringing in former queens from around the world and a “big name” model for the fashion show.
Lumumba said they would also be looking carefully at the date of the pageant. The fact that this year’s pageant coincided with Mashramani celebration could have contributed to the poor turnout.
Lumumba said this week he would be talking with the institute in Venezuela that trains beauty queens to establish an arrangement where local models could get proper training. Venezuelan trainers could also visit Guyana for training stints.
On another issue he said Courts has signed up one of the contestants to represent them for a year, while the Guyana Lottery Company is going to hire another.