Velonique Bowen, is crowned Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2022. To celebrate its independence which was gotten August 6, 1962, Jamaica hosts a series of celebrations including its Jamaica Festival Queen.
The Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition is one of several activities to commemorate the country’s 60th anniversary of Independence. The Diamond Jubilee celebrations are being held under the theme ‘Reigniting A Nation for Greatness’.
On August 1st, 2022, Jamaica crowned the queen for this year, Velonique Bowen, a 22-year-old broadcast journalist is the daughter of Jamaican singer Ras Ghandi. She contested alongside 13 others, representing Miss Kingston and St Andrew. She claimed four of the night’s seven sectional prizes – Most Popular on Social Media; Most Culturally Aware; Most Active in her Community; and Most Poised.
For her talent piece, the newly crowned Jamaica Festival Queen did her spin on the Baby Wayne hit song, Mama, a cry from a gangster who has just been jailed. Bowen, however, took it from the angle of a gangster who has just been released from prison, and as a reporter at CVM, she incorporated her real-life job into a captivating skit and deejay piece titled Back to Life.
The Coronation took place at the National Indoor Sports Centre and Sheri-Gaye Johnson, Miss Clarendon was awarded the first runner-up title, while Le Chone Redwood, Miss Westmoreland, won the title of second runner-up.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, presented the winner’s cheque of $600,000, at the grand coronation of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC)-organized competition.
The first runner-up was Miss Clarendon, Sheri-Gaye Johnson, who won $350,000, with Miss Westmoreland, LeChone Redwood, securing the second runner-up prize of $200,000. Rounding off the top five were Miss St. Thomas, Deidre Wadsworth, and Miss Portland, Renae Thibaud.
After her victory, Bowen stated, “I am so honored to be representing Jamaica in this capacity. I have always been an avid lover of culture and the opportunity to be Jamaica’s Festival Queen in our Diamond Jubilee year is just an amazing feeling – My happiness is immeasurable and I am so grateful.”
