Winning the Carib soca Monarch $1Million first prize has greatly improved life for father of two, Orlando Joashashen and his family.
Yesterday the artiste, who is in the process of constructing a house, collected his cheque and a trophy from Ansa Mcal Managing Director Beverly Harper at the company’s head office East Coast Demerara.
While thanking the company for keeping the competition alive and sponsors GT&T as well as DDL Soca soft drink he said, “The million dollars mean a lot to me, it could not have come at a better time.”
The Berbician who now resides in Parika is a Forest Ranger by profession and has been in the competition for several years. He had won the best newcomer prize when he first entered several years ago but this time around took the lions share. He said the monies would be used to complete the construction of his home at Tempie village.
Aged 29, the artiste called ‘Bones man’ says too that he is preparing for the Soca monarch 2011 title in Trinidad and Tobago as a Guyanese ambassador, and on that occasion he will be “coming 10,000 strong”.
He also sounded a warning to prospective Soca monarch contender that he bill be defending his title with dynamism for the 2011 local competition.
Bones man also extended gratitude to his producer and mixer Burchmore Simon of the Kross Kolor records and explained that his winning formula was to focus on highlighting the festival that sets Guyana apart from the other countries.
“When I wrote the song I took into consideration the fact that every country with a carnival always sings about their festival while we don’t have many people singing about Mashramani and it’s what makes us unique as a Guyanese people so I don’t care what no body say Mashramani time is we own…” he said.
Second and third place finishers Melissa Vanilla Roberts and Beverly Williams also collected their cheques for $500,000 and $250,000 respectively. Roberts also collected her $50,000 cheque for being the adjudged the most voted for artiste in the competition.
The national prizegiving ceremony is set for March 20 at the Umana Yana. (Mondale Smith)
Imperfect thoughts are the cause of all humanities ills, including disease, poverty and unhappiness.
By Mondale Smith