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PM praises
Miss Lou
Published August 8, 2003
By John Myers, Jnr.
I
N A blast of cultural extravagance,
Jamaica’s Ambassador of Culture, Dr.
the Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley (Miss
Lou), was Wednesday night showered with a
grand tribute of the type reserved for national
heroes.
This was during a special civic ceremony
to honour her at the year-old Emancipation
Park, New Kingston.
At the ceremony, which was witnessed
by over 2,500 people who filled the park and
spilled over into the streets, Miss Lou was
hailed as a true Jamaican heroine who has
championed Jamaica’s culture and dialect
(Patois), in the face of much criticism and
adversity both at home and abroad.
With the dialect being used in many of the
tributes paid, the cultural icon was assured
of, in no uncertain way, the indelible mark
she has made in the building of the Jamaican
landscape in the 41 years since the island got
Independence.
trailblazer
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, in laud-
ing the Jamaican folklorist, said: ’Miss Lou
helped us to break the barriers of cultural ig-
norance, she inspired confidence in ourselves
...Dr. the Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley has
enriched and empowered us all.’
Poking fun at Miss Lou’s distinct Ja-
maican accent, despite her extended stay in
Canada, Mr. Patterson remarked: ’Is suh yuh
come afta yuh tan suh lang, not even likkle
language gal; not even likkle twang!’ - a line
from one of her more popular poems.
’Miss Lou, more than anybody else,
learned and taught us how to tek sinting mek
laugh, tek kin teeth kiba heart bun, then she
wove all of this together into a seamless tap-
estry and returned them to us in song and the
spoken word to strengthen us on our journey,’
the Prime Minister continued.
Before presenting her with a copy of a
citation from the Government, Mr. Patterson
encouraged Miss Lou to return home. ’Any-
time the cold get too bitter and biting, not
only feel free to come, but if yuh want help
to pack up yuh tings and come, we will be
there to pack up yuh tings and come wid yuh
because we want you to come home,’ he said.
He announced that as of April next year,
Air Jamaica will resume flying to Toronto,
Canada, and said Miss Lou would be wel-
comed on board at anytime.
Will Rogers, senior vice-president of Air
Jamaica, presented Miss Lou with a lifetime
pass to travel on the airline.
Beaming with pride, and in a true Jamai-
can way, Miss Lou expressed her heartfelt
gratitude to the Jamaican people who gave
her nothing less than a ’boonoonoonoos’
welcome. She reminisced on her childhood
days when people called her ’Miss Bibs’ and
would flock her. ’This is the sort of love I got
from the Jamaican people when I was grow-
ing up,’ she said, adding that ’Lawd, it sweet
mi, it sweet mi.’et mi.’et mi.’