Guests mingle at the cocktail reception |
It was dubbed 'Full hundred' and part proceeds from the event, are to be donated to the Edna Manley School of the Arts, in Jamaica, so our culture can continue to wow the world.
Before the entertainment begun, the mood was set at a small cocktail reception but after that, it was pure niceness all the way.
The cultural show which followed was chaired by a well-known folklorist, Joan Andrea Hutchinson, OD-(the bumpy head gal) who, has demonstrated so far that she is indeed Miss Lou's natural successor.
Jamaica Folk singers in action |
The opening segment appropriately called "Come mek we dance an' sing" thrilled the audience with popular Jamaican folk songs like "Long gal mi nevva si yu" made famous by Miss Lou herself.
Their performance was interspersed with contributions from well known dub poet Malacai Smith and Maxine Osborne.
Even I, for Miss Lou's anniversary, wrote a tiny tribute about the influence that she has had had on all our lives.
It is; "When Louise Bennett-Coverley affectionately known as Miss Lou, was born in Kingston on September 7th 1919, her parents could never have imagined what an outstanding, poet, teacher, social commentator, actress, comedienne, expert on Jamaican language/culture and television star they were bringing into to the world of that fateful day. Neither could they have expected that she would be dubbed the “first lady of Jamaican comedy” and receive honors ranging from O.M., O.J., M.B.E., to Hon. D. Litt., in her short lifetime.
Members of Tallawah Mento Band at extreme right |
He eventually became her best friend and her loving husband.
In explaining her early immense interest in language and culture, in an interview
entitled “Miss Lou and the early
Jamaican Theatre” produced by the National
Library, she explained that it was her exposure to women from all walks of
life from an early age, which stoked her passion. For her mother had been a
dress-maker with clients ranging from the wives of governors and other “top a naris people” to those from the
humblest circumstances. To her mom though, everyone was a lady from, “coal
lady” to “governor wife lady.”
What she observed early from their interaction with her mom
and each other, was how important humor was to conversation and most
importantly, how everybody was speaking
the language of the common people when they became comfortable.
At the time, our own Jamaican language was not considered “acceptable
“and was not widely used by those who had
arrived, but clearly it was what everyone spoke once they relaxed!
This is what convinced the young Louise taking it all, that
our language should indeed become nationally accepted and be brought out of the closet, so to speak.
When she was taken to the country to attend a Dinky
Minnie which lasted eight days, there was no turning back for the young
talent who had this burning desire to write.
Her creative drive - combined with her love for the folk
songs her mom sung everyday which were popular in her birth parish of St. Mary
but totally unacceptable in the schools where only English could be used -
cemented the young poet’s desire to change it all.
Her first book of poetry published in 1942 was “Jamaica Labrish” and she was never too shy
to perform on stage anywhere. As her fame
increased and her talents became recognized, she was awarded a scholarship to
go to London to hone her acting skills at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. But even when she was given her own cultural
program in London on the British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) radio, it could not salve her longing to
return to her homeland where she was determined to shake up the cultural norms.
It was the pantomime being put on by expatriates in Kingston
and which was being performed in the queen’s
English, which became her first target for change. So, in 1948, she wrote in patois and acted in, Bluebeard. It totally revolutionized
the theatre landscape in Jamaica.
In the ensuing years, Miss
Lou kept us entertained with programs such as the “Lou and Ranny” show on radio and finally, delighted her audience
while educating children in the performing arts, with “Ring Ding” on Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC TV).
Despite all her other achievements, I opine that her most
impactful work is her influential publication “Aunty Roachy Seh” where our social consciousness as a nation is
awakened, through her inimitable humor.
This is the 100 th
anniversary of the birth of this great Jamaican lady whose influence on our
language, social norms, culture and
theatre can never be allowed to fade. So, it is incumbent on all of us to
keep her flag flying while we never fail to say “Tenk yu Miss Lou.”
No comments:
Post a Comment