3 weeks ago
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Twelve parish queens fixed their crowns and stepped confidently onto the stage of the National Indoor Centre in Kingston last Saturday night.
After more than three hours of fierce competition - highlighted by riveting performances, a designer gown showcase, and a tense on-stage interview segment - celebratory black, green, and gold confetti rained down on the winner: Miss Kingston & St Andrew, Brithney Clarke.
Rounding out the top three were first runner-up Miss St Catherine, 24-year-old entrepreneur Afiya Birch-Gentles, and second runner-up Miss Clarendon, 22-year-old medical student Rhaveen Kildare.
Winning the prestigious title filled 28-year-old communications practitioner Clarke with immense pride.
"I am feeling excited ... I am blessed, I am honoured, I am grateful ... a whole lot of emotions ... and I am happy," Clarke told THE STAR.
"The training has been intense and these ladies have been exceptional, so the competition was very tight. I am grateful that I was selected for the title," she added, once the celebrations had quieted and she began her interviews.
Clarke was particularly thrilled when the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) recently announced an increase in the Festival Queen Competition's age eligibility from 24 to 30 years old.
"I have always been an admirer of the Festival Queen Competition, but I was a little aged out by the time I began to think about entering. I know about the transformational power of the JCDC and its initiatives. I have seen where every young woman who has passed through these training sessions have come out to be successful ... and I am always looking for opportunities to grow and further develop, so this was definitely a guiding path for me."
Among those beaming with pride were her parents: Rohan Clarke and Senior Superintendent of Police Stephanie Lindsay, head of the Constabulary Communications Network.
"I am feeling overwhelmed with joy and happiness. Brithney came on stage and she did what she had to do and she took the crown. I'm just proud ... very proud," her father told THE STAR.
Lindsay shared similar sentiments, noting she was "not surprised" by her daughter's victory.
"I have been tracking her throughout the competition, so I know her strengths leading into tonight. Brithney came out and she demonstrated the true qualities of a festival queen, so I [am] very, very happy and proud of her," Lindsay told THE STAR.
Describing her daughter as "fierce, determined and driven," Lindsay praised Clarke's team and mentors for their support.
"Once Brithney is in pageants, it is work for me because I am that supportive mummy ... that mobiliser. She is the person who although she is in competition, she is going to be nice to all the girls. At the parish level, the young ladies voted her Most Congenial and tonight, she was voted Most Congenial again. That's who Brithney is ... she is the kind of queen who is not afraid to fix another queen's crown," she added.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, dressed in Jamaica colours, described this year's competition as "very successful."
"The production tonight was spectacular. It was a very stiff competition, but the winner did stand out and I want to congratulate Miss Kingston & St Andrew. But, as I told the girls, they are all winners. We have expanded the age limit and it has been able to attract women who are older than the usual teenagers, so we have very young and those who are a little older. The camaraderie was great and they were all enriched by the training they got and the knowledge that was passed on to them as cultural ambassadors," Grange said.
Jamaica 63 is being celebrated under the theme "Be Proud. Be Bold. In the Black, Green and Gold."
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