The young woman who walked away last Friday with the Miss Independence 2019 crown is more than just a pretty face. Her name is Sancia Charlemagne, a proud daughter of Sulphur City, Soufriere (Fond St. Jacques to be exact) and it cannot be denied that she took the National Cultural Centre audience by storm.
For the second straight year the pageant was organised by the Ministries of Equity, Social Transformation and Culture, through the Independence Committee and Events Company of Saint Lucia; and was once again a resounding success. The packed NCC witnessed ten contestants doing battle for the coveted title: Kieara Leon (Babonneau); Timiqua Deterville (Dennery North); Kamani Alphonse (Gros Islet); Keahni Hippolyte (Castries Southeast); Tunisha Lansiquot (Anse La Raye/Canaries); Trish Placid (Laborie); Kershel Bousquet (Castries East); Jenny Joseph (Castries North); Tunisia President (Micoud); and Sancia Charlemagne (Soufriere).
The contestants first appeared to deliver their introductory number, an “ambassadorial speech” that sought to impress upon the judges and the audience what their communities stood for; giving a bit of history, while incorporating the theme for Independence. The Swimwear, Talent and Evening Wear segments followed. The usual interview period was not judged this year.
As earlier stated, Sancia Charlemagne, with 435 points, gracefully walked away with the crown. The 21-year-old also took Miss Congeniality, Best Talent, Best Promotional Speech and Best Evening Wear. Timiqua Deterville was judged first runner-up, with a 377 points score, while Tunisha Lansiquot, with 372 points, was declared second runner-up. She also took the award in the Best Swimwear category. Tunisia President was the third runner-up with 357 points, while Kieara Leon was judged Miss Photogenic.
The STAR could barely wait to discover what made Sancia Charlemagne tick. In a short interview away from the stage lights, we discovered she had earlier been crowned Miss Fond St. Jacques, that she teaches music at the Soufriere Infant School and is a facilitator at the Community After-School Programme in Fond St. Jacques. It was something of a surprise to learn she initially had said no when asked to compete in the Miss Independence pageant.
She explained: “I wasn’t sure how I would be able to balance work and travelling to Castries for meetings and the other activities related to the pageant, given that I had just about four weeks to prepare.” But her earlier performance at carnival time, her obvious self-confidence, her involvement in community activities as well as her attractive personality made her the perfect Miss Independence candidate. And her Fond St. Jacques promoters knew it only too well. They refused to take her ‘no’ for an answer, her principal in particular; the mayor of Soufriere, too. Finally she caved in to their persistent requests.
She said: “I put my all into preparing with the help of Lovely St. Aimee-Joseph as my chaperone, Danielle Dubois as my talent co-ordinator and Helena Isaac, my dress maker. The Soufriere Constituency Council was also behind me, not to mention my family and the people of Soufriere/Fond St. Jacques.”
The minute Sancia stepped on the Miss Independence stage it was clear she would be the contestant to beat. Almost every move she made, every word uttered, elicited screams and shouts from her fans old and new. Her loudest cheerleader may well have been the Soufriere/Fond St. Jacques MP, Mr. Herod Stanislaus. For her talent contribution she assumed the personage of Ms St. Lucia. As she told it to the STAR: “She was this young girl who had French and British parents, and was leaving home to find a life of her own. She was, however, pursued by a sugar daddy called Uncle Sam. The message I wanted to bring across was that while we say we are independent, we still depend on others; we continue to be influenced culturally and socially, evidenced by the way we dress, how we speak. Even our general attitude is influenced by America. In the end Lucia had to sit with all these people and explain that while she appreciated all that they had done for her, the time had come for her to map out her own journey into the future.”
Her overall message as we celebrate Independence 40: “We must be proud of who we are and we must begin to celebrate what is unique about us. Yes, we need friends and we need other people sometimes. Still, we must be proud of who we are and what are our national goals.” Sancia recalled Hurricane Tomas: “It happened in 2010. I was a little girl and while my home and my family were spared, I still recall seeing dead bodies in Fond St. Jacques and the widespread destruction associated with the hurricane. I can recall the community coming together to pray, to ask God to unite us and to love one another for our country’s sake.
Sadly, it seems a change has come over us, not for the better. As we reflect on our Independence theme “All in – Our Journey, Our Future”, my wish is that we should be more grateful for what we have: for life, for our country. And we should endeavour to do more for those in need, for our environment and for Saint Lucia as a whole. At the end of the day, our country is all we have and we must do the best we can to keep Helen alive and safe.”
As for her future: “I love the stage, I love performing, I love theatre and so I would love to pursue a degree in the performing arts. I also love Economics and would love the opportunity to make a career in the field.”
