Yolande Gyles, Freelance Writer
Sashane McDonald (centre) was crowned Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2005 at the coronation held at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, Hope Road on Saturday. Second place went to Miss St. Mary, Yashieka Blackwood (left), and third place to Kaysi-Ann Spence from Manchester. - PHOTOS BY WINSTON SIL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
SEVERAL PATRONS left the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre on Hope Road, St. Andrew very unhappy on Saturday night.
They were livid that their 'queen', St. Mary's Yashieka Blackwood, placed second in the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition.
The winner is Sashane McDonald, a 24-year-old attorney-at-law and lecturer who represented the twin parishes Kingston and St. Andrew. She was also adjudged most culturally aware.
Third place went to Manchester's Kaysi-Ann Spence, who was named most poised.
ANGRY REACTIONS
However, several persons disagreed with the judges' decisions, particularly with regard to the winner. One patron angrily told The Gleaner, "Dis competition is biased."
One Miss St. Mary supporter complained. "Me born and grow ah Kingston but dis time me ah tell yuh sey a St. Mary shoulda get di crown. Is wha, because di girl fat? After is not a beauty ting! Dis lick me fi six," the man said before storming away.
POINTS SYSTEM
But what the judges were looking for and what the audience saw were clearly two different things.
The competition was judged on points, with 40 per cent being awarded during the pre-judging and 60 per cent on the night of the competition.
And in the break down of points, 40 went for cultural awareness; 20 to performance; 20 to presentation and another 20 for the on-stage interview.
Therefore, based on the points weighting, whoever won most culturally aware was half-way there towards wearing the crown.
However, the audience judged the competition differently, for, to them, the winner was the most talented contestant - and that was Blackwood.
With a beautiful voice and more than enough 'riddim' in the waist, Blackwood, crooned and danced to St. Mary fi you, St. Mary fi me, and the audience sang and danced along with her.
When she was through, she received a standing ovation and instantly seemed the contestant to beat.
McDonald's talent piece, a dramatic presentation titled 'The Real Jamaican Man' was about the various approaches women get from men inside local night clubs. It was cute and at times quite funny, but still it did not hold a candle to Blackwood's performance.
SEALED THE ISSUE
After the top five of Blackwood; McDonald; Spence; Dian Hamilton representing St. Thomas and Marsha Henry from St. Elizabeth, were announced, enthusiastic members of the audience chanted for St. Mary.
During the interview segment, Blackwood was asked what non-traditional methods she would use to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS?
She said that she would "promote abstinence" and "use entertainers who had influence" to promote that message.
Not everybody was impressed by her answer but for some, the issue was sealed, she was the queen.
In her interview, McDonald was asked what she thought was the role of men in the Jamaican society?
She admittedly took the traditional approach and stated that "the man should be the head of the household". She, too, received a mixed reaction from the audience.
UNIMPRESSIVE INTERVIEWS
Truth be told, none of the other top five contestants were particularly outstanding in their answers.
St. Thomas' Hamilton was asked about whether hanging should be resumed and why, and gave a treatise on crime and the judicial system.
St. Elizabeth's Henry was asked what challenges Jamaica could face with the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, and said that "the Government would have to pay a subsidiary for all students who enter university".
While Spence from Manchester was asked what law she would enact if she were prime minister, she responded that she would "have all children receive education up to the secondary level".
The interviews over, the audience waited and listened as sectional prize winners were announced.
Most congenial went to St. Ann's Shermaine Desnoes and when Blackwood was announced best performer, her supporters thought she had it in the bag.
However, that was not the case and McDonald took the title and a host of prizes including, $100,000 cash, a 2001 Nissan Sunny motor car, car insurance, a trophy and hair styling for a year.
