Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer Alma Mock Yen
Think of local radio and try to call the names of the pioneers. Alma Mock Yen should be one of them.
Along with Ranny Williams, they pioneered the Jamaican radio drama Life With The Morgan-Henrys which aired on Sundays. Recruited as one of the first persons of colour to work at RJR, she's seen many changes in local radio but hopes the fraternity sticks to its mandate.
"We have to set standards for people. Radio is more accessible now and that's growth and that's change, but I hope the better elements will survive," she said.
Mrs. Mock Yen has also proved herself in dance and theatre. She got into dance while at Wolmer's Girls and was an original member of the Ivey Baxter Dance Group. While doing dance, she was recruited by Noel Vaz to be in the cast of "Noah". She has appeared in various pantomimes and is also a writer, penning books on the art of radio and compiling an anthology.
Mrs. Mock Yen now mixes her knowledge of radio with her initial job of teaching. At the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication she schools young journalists in the art of creating radio documentaries. She also works with corporate clients, passing on her knowledge of public speaking.
Now in her 70s, she keeps going.
"I had an aunt who once told me it is better to wear out than to rust out," she chuckled.
Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
Barbara Gloudon
Make that Dr. The Honourable Barbara Gloudon, O.D., O.J.! All the extra letters added to her name make for a mouthful, but Dr. Barbara Gloudon's tall achievements make her more than deserving of her tall title.
A mere listing of all the awards and accolades given to this journalist, playwright and cultural activist would not suffice to illustrate the beautiful aura of this phenomenal Jamaican woman. Her dedication to preserving the cultural authenticity of Jamaican theatre is one large area where her influence can be observed. She is the author of some 22 Little Theatre Movement National Pantomimes, including this year's Howzzat! - in tribute to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 which will have its official opening in Trelawny.
Moreover, she visits thousands of Jamaican homes almost daily via the thought-provoking radio talk show, 'Hotline'. And when she isn't tackling social and cultural issues on radio, she lectures locally and internationally on themes of Caribbean cultural/socio-economic identity, especially as it concerns women.
Dr. Gloudon is also an author, having writtenthe book Stella Seh, that was published by the Institute of Jamaica Publications in 1991.
Her awards are many, just a few being two Seprod Gold Medals for excellence in journalism presented by the Press Association of Jamaica; appointment as trustee of the PAJ, Bronze Musgrave Medal and the Centenary Medal by the Institute of Jamaica in recognition of cultural contribution. And all this success she credits to the training she received as a young lady working at The Gleaner. Touch?!
Barbara Requa
"Dancers aren't made of their technique, but their passion."
- Anonymous.
For 74-year-old Barbara Requa, lecturer at the Edna Manley School of the Visual and Performing Arts, this statement is quite befitting. At the tender age of six, Barbara saw her older brother dancing and became intrigued. He taught her her first dance steps and she has been dancing ever since.
Her love for dance grew as she aged, but her parents dictated that she should study music. This, however did not stop her from dancing, as during her teen years she taught her peers how to dance and experimented with new forms. At the age of 17, Barbara finally got to live her dream when she enrolled in the Ivey Baxter Dance School.
A few years later, Barbara went to study physical education and modern dance in England and on her return, she rejoined the Ivey Baxter dance group and shared her knowledge. She went on to teach at the St. Andrew High School for Girls and the Mico Teachers' College before moving to Edna Manley where she has been lecturing since 1975.
In 1968, along with a close friend, she opened her own dance school called the Contemporary Dance Centre. She is a founding member of the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) and the international organisation, Dance and Child International.
For more than 50 years, Barbara Requa has specialised in teaching children how to dance, and at 74, she says, "I feel I still have some years left in me."
