Six vibrant young women will participate in this year’s ‘Miss Ciceron’ Pageant with the hopes of being crowned as a winner.
Akela Moore, Elva Alfred, Faith Edward, Kayde Altenor, Lexy Rosemond and Sydney James will participate in the event come June 22, under the theme ‘Building Community Pride: The Evolution & Sustainability of our Ciceron’.
At a sashing ceremony over the weekend, Dr Ernest Hilaire, Member of Parliament for Castries South, noted that the event attracts a large turnout annually.
“This time of year is an exciting time for Ciceron. We’ve seen the support for this event and Ciceron carnival grow significantly. When we first started in 2017 we wanted an activity that would focus on young mothers in the community for them to really showcase the talent that they have,” Hilaire said, adding that overtime, it expanded “for us to focus on the community and to show that Ciceron is a place that Saint Lucians can come and discover, a place where persons can live and enjoy.”
Recalling the success of last year’s event, Hilaire stated that “we didn’t even have enough space for all the persons who wanted to come to the pageant and I’m really thankful for everyone who has worked over the years to make this the success that it has been.”
Tamara Gibson, Chairperson of the Carnival Planning and Management Committee (CPMC), lauded the organizers of the event, noting that the CPMC is responsible for the overall planning and management “of Lucian Carnival but our interest doesn’t just stop there. Two areas are at the core of our mission for Saint Lucia Carnival and they are sustainability and inclusivity. Seeing your continued hosting of Ciceron Carnival helps support our mission.”
“For sustainability we know that many of the National Carnival Queen contestants are born from community pageants just like this one. They step onto this stage to help prepare them for the national level so we thank the organizers for continuing to give them an opportunity to be seen and an opportunity to gain experience,” Gibson said.
Furthermore, (under inclusivity), “we want every single Saint Lucian to be a part of Lucian Carnival whether through the kaiso tents, the parade, or pageants like this, we recognize that we simply do not have the capacity to meet the demands for every person who wishes to attend at the national level. Community shows like this one gives everyone an opportunity to be part of pageantry and revellery and thus part of the carnival celebration.”