Miss South Pacific Pageant 2009 Approaches

MEDIA RELEASE

Friday, 6 November 2009

The Pageant is coming!
23 days and counting until the new Pacific Queen is crowned!

With just over three weeks to go Fiji heads full speed into one of the largest premier events to be held in Suva. For the first time ever in Fiji, people from all over the region will come together to celebrate and appreciate the uniqueness of island beauty at the PBS Miss South Pacific Pageant 2009!

21 - 28 November, Albert Park, Suva.

Hibiscus Event Group Chair Dhansukh Lal Bhikha says Suva is honoured and excited to be hosting some of the most beautiful and cultured women in the Pacific at this year’s pageant.

“Suva has traditionally been known as the epicentre of pacific politics, the hub of pacific trade, and the home of the flying Fijians. Now it can be known as the host of the pacific’s premier event.

“Steeped in a history of royalty and chiefly nobility, Suva has been the home to many-a-crown and is this month pleased to be the city that will see the crowning of our modern day Pacific Queen,” says Bhikha.

The event begins on Saturday morning, 21 November 2009 with the traditional official opening ceremony scheduled for 10am, followed by the official opening of the Pacific Island village arena in the afternoon and the Bogi ni taukei (Fiji Nite) set to start at 7pm later that evening.

The weeklong event will culminate with the crowning of the new Miss South Pacific on Saturday, 28 November 2009.

As young women from all over the region prepare to take the stage in Suva later this month preparations are well underway to turn Albert Park into a mini South Pacific; a place where all things Pacific will be showcased during the week long event.

There will be cultural entertainment and sporting competitions at three venues around the park combined with the sale and display of arts and crafts from pacific island booths and the judging of the queens on the main stage each evening from Wednesday, 23 November.

“From the main component of the event, which is the contest amongst the beauties from around the region to traditional food and handicrafts, contemporary arts and music and the sporting competitions, Albert Park will be the place to be to get your fix of all things pacific,” says Bhikha.

“Experience it all at this year’s Pageant - art, culture, entertainment, local talent, high profile judges and some of the Pacific’s most beautiful women,” he says.

Bhikha says this year’s theme ‘Preserving our environment the pacific way’ was chosen because global warming is now having an adverse effect on most Pacific Islands countries particularly in atolls and low lying coastal areas.

Reigning Miss South Pacific (Miss Niue 2008) Vanessa Marsh says she is especially impressed with this year’s theme.

“The theme itself is most impressive, particularly in the current climate that we are in and the growing concerns we as Pacific Islands have. I’m looking forward to seeing how these young women will interpret and showcase this year’s theme.

“The pageant is also an opportunity to promote and raise awareness of issues which are of concern to the Pacific region, from cultural to environmental to social and the best thing about it is that an ambassador is selected to become a representative for the Pacific and to portray and advocate for these issues,” says Ms Marsh.

Walking the talk of this year’s theme the Suva City Council (a key supporter) has launched a clean up campaign to have Suva, clean, green and beautiful by the time the pacific beauties from the 10 island nations converge on the city.

Public Relations Officer for the Suva City Council, Ms Jillian Hicks says that whilst the pacific’s percentage of greenhouse gas emissions is miniscule on a worldwide scale, people will still suffer the consequences of high greenhouse gas emission of the metropolitan and developed countries and from the Pacific Rim.

For more information please see the following webiste: http://http://www.misssouthpacificfiji.com

ENDS

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