Who was crowned 2023 Miss Garifuna New Orleans?
This Cultural Beauty Pageant, The First Ever in the New Orleans, Louisiana area, is a continued attempt at Garifuna Cultural Revival and Reinforcement
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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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New Orleans, Louisiana – The Familias Unidas En Accion (“Families United in Action” in Spanish) Organization premiered their First Miss Garifuna Cultural Pageant in New Orleans on SUNDAY, April 23rd 2023 and crowned Melaiky Castillo, representing Limon, Honduras, as 2023 Miss Garifuna New Orleans!
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Timed to coincide with National Garifuna Heritage Month, The 2023 Miss Garifuna New Orleans Cultural Pageant is an attempt at Cultural Revival and Reinforcement.
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As noted in a prior posting on The 2023 Miss Garifuna New Orleans Cultural Pageant, Melaiky Castillo is 13 Years Old and in the Eighth Grade. She was born in Limon, Colon, Honduras and lives in New Orleans with her mother and sisters. Melaiky Castillo was recognized as Student of the Month and has stated that when she grows up, she wants to be a Doctor.
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With a casual glance of video clips of the festivities on Facebook, The 2023 Miss Garifuna New Orleans Cultural Pageant appeared to be standard fare as far as the Miss Garifuna Cultural Pageants go.
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The event began with a procession of Garifuna community members, Garifuna Drummers and contestants marching inside the venue singing the Unofficial International Garifuna Anthem, Yurumein.
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Then, there were Introductions by the contestants, who spoke to the audience and offered biographical information about themselves. In the Miss Garifuna Cultural Pageants I have seen in New York City, these Introductions are spoken in the Garifuna Language. I don’t know that this took place during The 2023 Miss Garifuna New Orleans Cultural Pageant.
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There is also a Quiz segment where each contestant is asked a question about an aspect of Garifuna History and/or Culture.
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There is also a segment of The Miss Garifuna Cultural Pageant where the contestants each act out or mime an aspect of Garifuna culture. Creativity is of the essence here, but typically, I have seen Miss Garifuna Contestants Demonstrate a Garifuna Dance, Act out a sketch or skit featuring a Domestic Occurence, or even put a Garifuna spin on an American or other ethnicity’s or nationality’s culture. For example, doing a Garifuna Ballet dance, playing a Garifuna instrumental on a non-Garifuna instrument, like the saxophone, etc. I don’t know that this segment took place in The 2023 Miss Garifuna New Orleans Cultural Pageant.
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What’s worrisome is that the beginning of the Miss Garifuna Cultural Pageant, where a procession of elders and members of the local Garifuna community sing the International Garifuna Anthem, “Yurumein”, is one of the FEW times the Garifuna Language is spoken and heard.
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In the video clips I have seen, the Spanish language is the only language heard, which is fine if this was The Miss Honduras Pageant or The Miss Central American Pageant, but this is The Miss GARIFUNA Cultural Pageant. Speaking the Garifuna Language is the NUMBER ONE thing that identifies us and serves as a common denominator as Garinagu, spiritually connects us to our Ancestors, honors our Ancestors life experience on Earth and affirms OUR existence on this planet. Why be okay with NOT exercising this essence of life?
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The English Language is a sublime language, the Spanish Language is a beautiful language. But must we bow our heads in deference to the dominant culture by allowing our Garifuna Language, by not using it, to go extinct?
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It’s bad enough that I write the content of this website in the English Language because I know that otherwise, most readers won’t understand it.
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I know many of contestants of The 2023 Miss Garifuna New Orleans Cultural Pageant are little girls or pre-teens. Their ability to express their detailed ideas in the Spanish Language, is commendable and to be applauded. However, I worry that not speaking the Garifuna Language further pushes our own Language to the ground, only to be stepped over and walked on by like garbage in the street.
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Tip of my Hat to the organizers of The Miss Garifuna New Orleans Cultural Pageant. This is the beginning and there is more to be done. Hopefully, there is more active speaking of the Garifuna Language by the contestants in the future.
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