Who Was Crowned 2023 Miss Garifuna Atlanta?

This Cultural Beauty Pageant, The First Ever in the Atlanta area, is a continued attempt at Garifuna Cultural Advancement and Revival

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Copyright 2023 by Teofilo Colon Jr (a.k.a. “Tio Teo” or “T.O. Tayo”) for Being Garifuna. All Rights Reserved. Contact Tio Teo.

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Atlanta, Georgia — Walagante Expo‘s 2023 Miss Garifuna Atlanta Cultural Beauty Pageant ended with Miss Simone Lorenzo, Miss Hopkins Belize, being crowned the winner of this unique Pageant on Saturday, April 15th 2023.

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Photo Credit: Screen Grab off Jeffelyn Martinez’s Facebook Video

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I do not have any biographical information for Miss Simone Lorenzo, other than that she represented Hopkins, Belize in this Pageant. If I am given that information, I will update this post with more information on Miss Simone Lorenzo.

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Photo Credit: Screen Grab off Insineni Sin-Marasuaguluni’s Facebook Video

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I am based in New York City and wasn’t in Atlanta, Georgia to see the 2023 Miss Garifuna Atlanta Cultural Beauty Pageant.

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Photo Credit: Ash Guity on Facebook

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However, I saw three or four video clips of The 2023 Miss Garifuna Atlanta Cultural Beauty Pageant on Facebook.

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Photo Credit: Garifuna Sisterhood of Atlanta Facebook Page

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The video clips consisted of the Young Ladies competing in this Pageant marching around the venue, waving flags of the mother countries of Garinagu while singing Garifuna songs.

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Photo Credit: Isamar Castro-Mejia on Facebook.

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Timed to coincide with National Garifuna American Heritage Month in the United States, The Miss Garifuna Atlanta Cultural Pageant represents another example of an attempt to revive and teach Garifuna Culture to Garifuna Youths.

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Photo Credit: Jeffelyn Martinez on Facebook

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Living in America, there’s a sense that many aspects of Garifuna Culture have been lost. Knowing the customs, being aware of Garifuna history, speaking the Garifuna Language, Cooking Garifuna Food, Dancing traditional Garifuna Dances, etc., are more often than not, not taking place.

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Part of the training these Young Ladies go through in preparation for The Miss Garifuna Atlanta Cultural Beauty Pageant consists of learning about these aspects of Garifuna Culture and perhaps becoming reacquainted with them if possible.

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This process of reverse acculturation, is the true goal and meaning behind these Miss Garifuna Cultural Pageants, both here in the United States AND abroad in Central America.

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Congratulations to Miss Simone Lorenzo on being crowned 2023 Miss Garifuna Atlanta.

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Inebesei (“Respect” in the Garifuna Language) to Mrs. Dorina Chimilio and her Walagante Expo (“Walagante” translates to “Our Heritage” in the Garífuna Language) organization on leading, developing and implementing The 2023 Miss Garifuna Atlanta Cultural Beauty Pageant.

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Video of The 2023 Miss Garifuna Atlanta Cultural Beauty Pageant courtesy of Rolan Castillo on YouTube.

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ABOUT The Garifuna People

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