Long before she was crowned the inaugural Miss Afro Trinidad and Tobago, Delece Rabathaly was a little girl standing beside her father at a political rally with one simple request.
“I remember going to the rally. I think I was about six or seven years old,” the 19-year-old Vistabella resident recalled with a smile. “They had posters and I remember saying, ‘Daddy, I want that one.’ At that age, all I knew was that I wanted the one with the woman on it.”
Last Thursday night, that childhood memory came full circle.
Representing Zimbabwe, Rabathaly was crowned the country’s first-ever Miss Afro Trinidad and Tobago before a standing-room-only audience at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA).
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who attended the pageant, congratulated the contestants and praised the inaugural event as a celebration of African heritage and remembrance.
For Rabathaly, however, the occasion carried an even deeper significance.
“Seeing her there, the way she delivered her speech and focused on maintaining our heritage,” she recalled, “and then having her that close and offering some words of encouragement... it was definitely a surreal moment and a moment of deep appreciation.”
The Prime Minister’s address resonated with the new queen, particularly her reminder that: “The best that we can do to honour our ancestors who came out of Africa is to remember.”
But while Rabathaly’s victory has thrust her into the public spotlight as a cultural ambassador, she admits her ambitions extend well beyond the pageant stage.
Asked whether politics might one day form part of her future, she answered without hesitation.
“Yes, I do,” she said. “I’ve always been very engaged with politics. Regardless of political affiliations and opinions, I’ve always been very invested -not just in party- but really and truly in the betterment of my nation, of my community, and really finding that middle ground.”
Her answer reflects the poise she displayed throughout the competition, in which delegates represented 14 African nations and were challenged not only on presentation but also on their knowledge of African history, culture and identity.
For Rabathaly, public service and cultural advocacy are closely connected.
During the interview, she spoke about using part of her $20,000 winner’s prize to support a back-to-school initiative organised by the Synergistic Foundation, a non-profit organisation with which she volunteers.
“We’ll be hosting a Back-to-School Drive in August and I hope to use some of my earnings to contribute to that,” she said. “I’m turning 20 next week and there’s no better way to celebrate than saying thanks to the people in my community who have supported me.”
She believes the responsibilities that come with the Miss Afro Trinidad and Tobago title extend well beyond appearances and photo opportunities.
“We are tasked with keeping our culture alive and sharing it with others,” she explained. “We also have to be on the ground with our community: educating, inspiring and uniting people through culture and through the arts.”
Those ideals mirror the themes that earned praise from Persad-Bissessar during the pageant.
Addressing the contestants before announcing the winners, the Prime Minister commended the high standard of their presentations and their knowledge of African history and culture.
“You were so good in your speaking and in the themes that you expressed,” she said. “Give all these women a round of applause. We are looking forward to next year’s competition.”
For now, Rabathaly intends to balance her university studies, dance, community service and her duties as the country’s first Miss Afro Trinidad and Tobago.
Whether those ambitions will one day lead her into public office remains to be seen.
But if Thursday night’s coronation proved anything, it is that the little girl who once admired a woman on a political poster has already discovered the power of leadership, service and representation—and she is only just getting started.
