Uzuri International, franchise holders for

Miss Jamaica Universe, says it is surprised by the widespread condemnation of

an Annie Palmer-themed national costume worn by current Miss Jamaica Iana

Tickle Garcia.

Uzuri, having unveiled the signature

costume on Friday, has raised many eyebrows and come under heavy scrutiny for “glorifying

slavery” – much of which has been directed towards Garcia.

Rich history comes with dark moments

In its eyes, the decision of Annie Palmer was not a sleight of hand as Garcia is a resident of Montego Bay and the story of the Rose Hall Great House and the legend of the ‘White Witch’ is also part of the parish’s rich history.

In a statement on Facebook, Uzuri wrote, “With this year’s costume, we never sought to glorify slavery nor promote witchcraft or any of the folk tales Annie Palmer has been accused of, instead, what we sought to do, as have the pantomimes, books and articles written about her, was to tell the story of another part of Jamaican history without endorsing, glorifying or celebrating her deeds or the atrocities of slavery.”

“This year, because the current title

winner is from Montego Bay, the Miss Jamaica Universe Organisation chose to

highlight a tourism icon and national treasure as the theme of the National

Costume and decided that the Rose Hall Great House and its legend of Annie

Palmer would be the fitting story,” Uzuri International added.

Franchise holders for Miss Jamaica Universe

since 2013, the group said it has been disappointed by the vicious attacks on

Garcia within the sphere of social media, despite the fact the 19-year-old is

about to represent the country at the competition.

‘She’s representing all a wi, Jamaica’

“This is unacceptable. She is at a critical

time in her young life when she has worked extremely hard at home and invested

her time and efforts to represent an entire country and she is now facing

gruelling rounds of competitive events, nonstop activities,” Uzuri retorted.

“[She] is deprived of sleep, away from

friends and family and nowhere near a comfort zone and needs the support of the

nation. But instead, she is being bashed, demonised and vilified,” the organisation

continued.

On the flip side, while Uzuri International asks the public to end the attacks on Garcia, it is pleased the costume has sparked a conversation and hopes Jamaicans, “will now be motivated to engage in further research on the topic to have greater understanding of our past.”

“This is not the action of a civilised people and Iana does not deserve the abuse she has been receiving, so please let’s stop this and allow her to focus on competing and making us all proud as Jamaicans,” the statement ended.

See our related story below:

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Bad idea? Miss Universe Jamaica under fire for wearing ‘Annie Palmer’ costume[/naviga:li][/naviga:ul]