Stunning Moriah beauty Moesha Bruce, 22, took the title of Miss Tobago Heritage Personality Queen 2019 last Friday at the Shaw Park Complex and walked home with a $25,000 scholarship.
Bruce beat a field of nine fellow contestants.
Placing second was Nalia Taitt and in the third spot was Shanice John.
Moesha was a winner all the way and also copping the titles of Miss Photogenic, Miss Intelligence and The Best Gown. Moesha is a student at the University of the West Indies. She is pursuing a degree in Agri-Business Management.
She told Tobago Today about her plans. “I’m currently in the stage of writing down what I’d like to realistically accomplish and for now, there’s a programme I’d like to initiate called HD–Heritage Documentation. The goal is to utilise knowledge from the older heads that have contributed in some pivotal way to heritage and use graduates in the field of art and culture to aid in the portrayal and documentation of the various elements.”
She said her other initiative is the “Culture Through Education Programme.” It will focus on students involved in theatre arts. She hopes to use culture as a means of education.
She is also trying to create a forum allowing young Tobago minds.
The Heritage Queen wants to start the initiatives so they are continued by the 2020 Personality Queen.
She said as a third-year Agribusiness Management student she has a deep interest in global development and current affairs. “I have a passion and appreciation for the cultural arts,” she said.
She has other interests. She enjoys doing charity and working with hearing and speech impaired persons. She has a sister who is hearing impaired.
As the treasurer and bookings officer of the Jus Dance Performing Company, she is the golden Ambassador for the Beauty Branded Agency. She is also the board analyst for Renlim Entertainment which supplies recreational activities to UWI students at a reasonable price.
Moesha’s winning night
Bruce’s gown was a two-part offering designed by Shanareah Taylor, 24, of Pembroke. Taylor is studying communication studies, cultural studies, anthropology and theatre at the UWI.
Taylor said the gown entitled Twenty-Fifth Hours, mimics the traditional Tobago wedding. It was designed under the theme Traditions and the Ties that Bind and focuses on the religious and cultural aspects of the Tobago wedding.
It was created using faux silk and adorned with Erie-shells. It is covered with printed sheer mesh and was decorated by children as part of an interactive session for four days before the show.
Samaria Des Vignes, Sheniel Des Vignes, Shaneil Shanghie and Simayya Kent are the four children from Bago House of Culture Stars who played a role in the development of the gown.
The second part of the gown depicts “a woman scorned.”
It depicts the events that take place when the fairy tale part of the wedding ends. The gown contains mirrors that point upwards and aims to depict the battle scars women undergo in relationships.
Taylor said the seamstress Verla Belfon, who put the creation together, suggested that the pleats move towards the left based on the lyrics from the song Irreplaceable by Beyonce. The dress also contained a printed polyester-cotton blend that Taylor said was given to her by her grandmother one month ago.
Moesha’s hair was done by Taylor’s dad Jesse Taylor.