The new face of Beauty Pageants

Twenty beauties lined up for the title of Ms Ghana ’99. Among cream on society who gathered at the exquisite Accra International Conference Centre to witness the event was GRi’s Entertainment Correspondent JULIET ADIME AMOAH who bring you this report.

For a country that is poor, still developing and doesn’t have many ‘known’ designers Ghanaians dress quite well. Every event is a good excuse to go into a shop or a wardrobe to dig out trendy well cut and often-breathtaking and rather expensive numbers.

For people living in the fast lane, fashion lovers and contest relishers, Saturday the 2^nd of October was another perfect opportunity, and what it looked like was the summer opening Marks & Spencer or a discount sale at Adzedu of Shapes. Everyone decked out in fashionable clothes and looking like stars in their own right. Only tonight these people were out at the plush Accra International Conference Centre to look at and "help choose" the most beautiful girl in Ghana.

The Media Whizz Kids organised and Club beer sponsored Miss Ghana beauty pageant is the closest thing Ghana has to the large and hugely participated fashion season in France or Italy. It is almost like the Entertainment Critics Association of Ghana (ECRAG) awards and everyone waits till then to take out or buy a pretty piece of jewellery or a designer outfit. As well as get a chance to catch up on what outfit is going places this year. The crowd at the Conference centre tonight does not disappoint anyone as they turn out looking sharp. Nor does GTP the official wardrobe providers with their colourful prints.

At exactly 9pm the lights come on and a low husky male voice pronounces a cheery "good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Club Pleasure 99". The voice belongs to Kwasi Kyei Darkwa, perhaps the best DJ in town who goes by the accolade "K.K.D the finest" given to him years back when he won the best DJ on the continent. He is the compere for the evening something he does with Akosua Puni a runner-up at the ‘96 Miss Ghana event.

The tension in the air is palpable as the 20 young women – contestants with ages ranging between 18 and 24 - line up on stage to introduce themselves, clasping carefully manicured fingernails painted in pale colour in front of them. They are not precisely in uniform, although all of them are wearing a slit- a long narrow figure hugging skirt with a cut (slit) in the back and Kaba – a frilly blouse to match, shining copper necklaces and high heeled shoes.

All of them cut a striking picture under the glare of stage lights and it is heartbreaking, but everyone knows that at the end of the evening only a handful; indeed only three of these lovely girls will go home with happy smiling faces.

The first prize for this year's Miss Ghana contest was a hefty pack. Aside the ticket to represent Ghana at the Miss World event there was a brand new Daihatsu gran move car, a two bedroom self-contain house, 3.5million cedis cash a 300,000 monthly allowance for the year and a set of 18 carat gold jewellery thrown in for good measure. The second prize which caused a lot of grumbling because many argued that it was inadequate, was a set of dining room furniture, a T.V and Video deck, a ticket to London and 2,500,000 million cedis cash. The third prize was a double door fridge and cooker and dinning room furniture and 2,000,000 cedis cash. All the other contenders took away 2million cedis each.

Winning is a ready way of transforming ones status. An automatic pass into the elite class and this knowledge spurs the contestants on. The last two weeks that they have been camped at the five-star Labadi Beach Hotel they have channelled all their efforts into winning crucial points by behaving well, showing poise, elegance and a good dress sense. Tonight the grand finale, they show even more of all of these qualities.

"This isn’t just a competition, it is the key to a whole new life. A chance to change your station in life in a snap. Most of these girls may not have any other chance at attaining a higher status. I can understand how important it is for them. I mean this affects them for the rest of their lives, and so they’ll want badly to win" says Mrs. Akwele Ocran a well-known Hair stylist.

The next stage is to have the girls up on stage to show off their figures in bathing suits. This is a cheer inducing part of the contest especially for the 60% male audience.

This year’s bathing suit segment recognised as a favourite segment and fine crowd popper has been improved immensely. The organisers have given this part a nice touch bringing on stage a beach umbrella and plastic chairs.

The effect is spontaneous and as one gets the feel of sunbathing party on the beach with a bevy of beauties.

But the performance of the beauties is far from spontaneity as every step they take have been carefully choreographed as a national dance ensemble’s drama.

They modelled first in batches of five and then individually in identical leopard skin swimwear and sunglasses.

While waiting their turns to model the other four sit under the beach umbrella chatting away in what appeared a happy carefree way.

Just as soon as the twentieth contestant pranced off stage singer-composer Dan Nettey and his foursome sang away in a surprisingly rich R and B style. The contestants get ready for the talent hunt segment, and all twenty ladies from the ten regional events gear to show what they’ve got. The audience is awed when the girls come up on stage.

"Perhaps the saying he who laughs last laugh best is not silly after all" comments a man in the audience. He is definitely referring to the fact that like most everything this year, the contest is the last in this century, and so the millennium event.

The organisers have polished it to a high pedigree putting an array of wonderful artistes on the programme.

"Aben wo ha" star Daddy Lumba, former world dance champion Adjetey Sowah, the national dance company and dance champion KKD Jnr all feature in the entertainment package. The talent show usually a boring part with the same age-old ‘contest dances’ miraculously vanished. Replaced by a show of raw talent. Creativity was unlimited and the contestant’s confidence knew no bounds.

Just as Sonti Ndebele the amazingly curvy slick headed South African belle who backs local Music man Kwadwo Antwi, sung the last refrains of her "own brand of Malika" the contestants were called up again, appearing one at a time. Apart from answering a question from any of the five judges they choose by a light gambling method, dipping into a small basket and choosing a folded square piece of paper with the judges alphabetical letter, proffered by M.C Akosua Puni.

Boos and cheers filled the next hour as girl after girl answered a question on a broad spectrum of subjects. Some contestants answered as if they were reciting at a play, fumbling if they missed one word. Others like the winner and her runners up answered intelligently and smoothly. Somewhere in between this difficult and farcical round presentations were made to some of the outstanding contestants.

Miss Faith Sedziafia who was representing the Volta Region, got a prize for being the most photogenic contestant, while Miss Felicia Olandra Ocloo, Miss Greater Accra took a prize for her eloquence and another for coming up best in the talent show. Miss Victoria Akakade from the Upper East region received prizes for her spectacular evening dress and for her wonderful personality. At the end of the round, the judges picked the best eight contestants and of course the audience had also handpicked their favourites. The evening’s controversy had started.

Some of the perfect eight were not so perfect and the audience jeered that they had made it to the final eight at all. "The judges have either been paid or propositioned to. Or how else could they pick these short and timid contestants as the finalists? Some of them couldn’t answer simple questions in the first half" sneered Vivian Obro a secretary in a hydraulics company. But the judges were not to be swayed in their decision and the contest went on. The "perfect eight" were called back up on stage sent through a drill that included a message, a highlife dance and a catwalk.

The final test over many waited with baited breadth sat tight as the five judges compiled the list of the deserving three. Many minutes ticked by in all forty and the stage light flickered on and off. Finally the stage set with a throne placed on a red carpet was flood lit and the M.C’s voice announced : "This is it. The moment we’ve been waiting for… the second runner up is contestant number 10, Ewuraba Efua Mochia of the Central region. The first runner up ladies and gentlemen is contestant number 9 …" but the compere’s voice was drowned by the jeers, and if this had been anything other than a beauty pageant, some would have pelted him with rotten eggs and vegetables. For number 9 was no other than Miss ‘Eloquent’ Felicia Olandra Ocloo.

As the sighs and jeers died out KKD announced the new beauty queen, contestant number 17 the 19 year-old daughter of a doctor Miss Ghana 99, Mariam Sugru Bugri who represented the Borng Ahafo region. Her proud parents yelled themselves hoarse for joy and her detractors did the same out of anger. It was a confusing moment as the crown was fitted on her coifed head with some difficulty and her runners up glared at her from their positions by the throne. Backstage was as much a mayhem as the auditorium. With some of the unlucky contestants threatening to march back on stage in protest of the judge’s choice.

Year after year judges are accused of being biased in their choice and so the dissenters in the auditorium are allowed to have their say and the contestants admonished to be good losers. Next year some of them will try again others will be so disgusted they would have given up. One thing is certain though Beauty pageants have come a long way in Ghana and they are acquiring a new face one of elegance and intelligence.

To Mariam, we say Congratulations.

GRi../