The Miss Emancipation pageant, launched in 2012, aims to showcase the beauty of African culture while promoting community development, edifying patrons on African heritage, challenges and solutions.
It is a highly-anticipated occasion that takes the form of an “African gala”. It is one of few occasions in which Guyanese adorn themselves in their African attire showcasing the richness of the culture.
The show takes the format of an Introduction Segment, where delegates introduce themselves adorned in beautiful African wear, reciting a spoken-word introduction written by them on the Emancipation theme of the year; the Business Wear Segment showcases the delegates’ choices of African styles that are appropriate for the working environment; the Project Presentation Segment gives the delegates an opportunity to present their projects and answer questions relating to them; the Evening Gown Segment showcases the rich beauty of African culture via the delegates’ choices in African lace designs; the questions asked in the Question and Answer Segment assess the contestants’ knowledge during the culture awareness and leadership development classes, workshops and seminars they participated in from March to July.
The Miss Emancipation’s Community Development Project, which accounts for 30% of the competition, requires delegates to design and execute a community-based project centred on the aims and objectives outlined by the pageant’s committee. The project holds the largest single score card for the competition and the winner will automatically become a finalist.
The aim of this year’s project is to design and execute a community development project that will directly impact the lives of residents, especially women and children. The objectives are to promote the importance of STEM and to assist in the increase of students enrolling in the science stream. Notably, the delegates have to focus on underprivileged communities, such as those with larger percentages of single-parent households.
