Festival Queen Competition Launched

The 2007 Miss Jamaica Festival Queen competition was launched on June 26 by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), at the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre in Kingston, under the theme: ‘Honouring the Beauty of our Ancestors’. The contestants, who are parish festival queens, are between 18 and 25 years of age and were crowned in 13 parish contests held across the island earlier this year.
Guest Speaker at the launch, Judge Marlene Malahoo Forte, noted that the competition encouraged young Jamaican women “to participate in and be identified with their culture and community activities, both at the parish and national levels.”
The main thrust of the programme, she highlighted, “is to make young women more aware of the contribution they can make to community development and nation building, as they strive towards attaining their personal goals.”
In light of the theme, the Judge pointed out that “our ancestors have walked the road of hardship and have paved the way for us,” to continue in the development of the country.
The contestants will be engaged in tours across the island, on-going training sessions and making courtesy calls on various dignitaries and heads of organisations.
The prizes include a motor vehicle from Mack D’s; appliances from Singer; cash prizes from Juici Patties and Moneygram; call credit from Digicel and gift baskets.
The Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Contest began in 1962 as the Miss Jamaica Beauty Contest, but the need for greater emphasis on cultural awareness prompted a shift in focus in 1975.
The contest has grown over the years to become the premier forum for intelligent, culturally aware, and poised young ladies seeking a platform to contribute to nation building.