Entertainment

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Womanbition 2010 touched an emotional note on Sunday night when Etana cried during her performance at Starapples, Hope Road, St Andrew.

On the small stage, surrounded by teenage mothers from Mary's Child, Etana sat on a high chair playing her guitar as she sang Wrong Address . She put aside the instrument to sing Roots , at which point the audience became her choir. While performing Free , the vibrant singer stepped to the back of the stage and turned her back. When she turned around, tears were flowing from her red eyes, smudging her make-up.

"I don't think this has ever happened to me before. But when I turned around and look in this female's face, I couldn't even imagine what she has been through," she said of a particular young girl among those who had been victims of rape and incest.

"Fear not what they do cause sometimes they are broken and bitter ...Whatever your religion, the Most High loves you just the same. Everything you want in this world is yours. Believe inna your heart what you want. Nuh mek nobody tell you any different."

She continued to sing Free before making a hasty exit from the stage. She left the crowd pleased, and stunned. The MC, Denise 'Isis' Miller, said she had never experienced anything like that, and also started crying.

WITTINESS

When Tanya Stephens took the stage, she said she was also moved by Etana's emotional performance.

Stephens' wittiness brought back smiles to the faces of the people who had become very sombre in spirit. Out of nowhere she asked, "How yuh fi find the one good man inna a hundred-mile radius and waan keep him to yourself?" Then she jokingly said women should share their men, before singing It's A Pity .

D'Angel followed, doing Blaze . She was joined onstage by the young girls for a short, feisty modelling stint. Afterwards, Lady G dashed a little fire with some of her older songs like Breeze Off and Nuff Respect , but by that time many people were leaving.

EARLY PERFORMANCES

Earlier in the show, there were performances by Jah 9, Kai Wakling, Nelle Stharre, Sharon Tucker, Sajoya, Mary Issacs, Keteis Oyonde. Sajoya and her daughter encouraged the women to respect and take care of their vaginas.

Four girls from Mary's Child nervously performed for the audience, one hiding behind the others for most of the performance.

Poet Cherry Natural told women to defend themselves. "Defend yuhself nuh wait till later, it better to talk to the judge, not the undertaker," she said, as she spoke about domestic violence, before requesting some "good loving tonight", but forgetting her lines in sections.

Violinist Jessica Yap got the crowd very lively, even getting a 'money pull-up' from Charles Campbell, Jamaica Reggae Industry Association chairman, and a few other people.

ZJ Sparks got the audience moving to songs from female artistes with Tifa's Spell It Out finding favour with the young girls. Kym's Amen was played twice.

Performing Righteous Woman and Get Up , Empress had the people rocking to her every beat. Alaine started with Rise In Love before singing No Ordinary Love , with a constant smile on her face.

ZJ Elektra also played, selecting songs such as 2 Face Idibia's African Queen , Tarrus Riley's She's Royal and Queen Ifrica's Lioness On The Rise .