Jamaica will commemorate the 105th anniversary of the birth of cultural icon, Dr the Hon Louise Bennett Coverley, fondly known as ‘Miss Lou’, with a series of activities this month.
Born on September 7, 1919, at 40 North Street, Kingston, Miss Lou’s indelible influence on Jamaican culture is being celebrated with a flourish of activities throughout the month.
Fascinated by her native language, she began writing poetry in the local dialect, Patois, at an early age. Her first public appearance was her recital of a poem in Jamaican Patois at a concert.
On Saturday, September 7, a floral tribute organized by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) will be held at National Heroes Park in Kingston.
Director of the Community Cultural Development Services Division at the JCDC, Marjorie Leyden-Kirton, said exhibitions on the life and work of Miss Lou will be mounted by JCDC’s parish offices and parish libraries across the island.
The exhibitions will be held during the month of September, from Monday, September 9 to 30.
According to Leyden-Kirton, there will be activities such as Miss Lou look-a-like and costume competitions, where persons will be judged for their creativity. She said that notices will be sent to schools and other stakeholders in the parishes encouraging them to visit the exhibitions.
Addressing Miss Lou’s contributions to Jamaica, Leyden-Kirton said that she was instrumental in the promotion of the patois language.
“Every Jamaican recognizes the work that Ms Lou had put in, especially on the language. The patois language is one of our loved identities, just like reggae music, that everyone in the world loves,” she said.
She attributed the love and acknowledgement of patois through the work and contributions of Miss Lou, whose poems and songs brought the language to life.
“It is a beautiful language and very expressive, and it is almost like a foreign language, because when we are among foreigners and we speak sometimes they ask for an interpretation,” Leyden-Kirton said.
