| |
|
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 Noh lickle twang! JA'S CULTURAL ICON RETURNS By Claude Mills, Staff
Reporter
THIS YEAR'S Emancipation and Independence celebrations have acquired an almost magical quality - a vivacity and soul - not experienced in recent years. Many believe that the return of Dr. Louise Bennett-Coverley, or Miss Lou as she is affectionately called, is the main reason behind the 'natural mystic' in the air.
Miss Lou has always
enjoyed virtual hammerlock on the hearts and imagination of the Jamaican
public. But from the moment she made her way down the Air Canada plane's
steps to place her feet on the soil of her homeland, she has single-handedly
inspired a new joie de vivre in the life of Jamaicans.
EUPHORIA This is her first visit to Jamaica since she emigrated to Canada in 1987, and the bubble of euphoria associated with her return has spread to swallow the entire country. Miss Lou has become an object of mass cultural fascination as demonstrated by the 'boonoonoonoos' welcome she received at the airport and on the streets of Jamaica from hundreds of adoring fans. After being wheeled through a 'gauntlet of culture' inside the airport where she was treated to performances from the Rod Dennis Mento Band, the Cari-folk Singers and Ashe', she was escorted to her hotel by police outriders. Adoring fans lined the streets of Harbour View to greet her. They screamed her name as her limo passed, and whenever she paused to acknowledge their presence, they merely basked in the corona of her presence.
On Wednesday, she held centrestage during a rap session with the media at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston. She stated that while it was important to retain the Jamaican dialect as an integral part of the local culture, teachers must make it their responsibility to teach English translations. UPSTAGED THE PRIME MINISTER On Emancipation Day, during the Michael Manley Award for Community Self-Reliance, she upstaged the Prime Minister with an extemporaneous address to the audience jam-packed in the Little Theatre. As Miss Lou made her way down the aisle, she set off a round of frantic whispering, and a murmur of excitement ran through the crowd like an electric current. Members of the audience began to clap rhythmically, and they rose to their feet in anticipation of something special. They were not disappointed. After singing a few bars of Water Come A Mi Yi, she once again implored the gathering to 'talk Jamaican', and defended her lifelong obsession with and championing of the Jamaican dialect. When she finished, she received a standing ovation from the audience.
See Also A Tribute To Miss Lou |
 |
 |
|
©Copyright 2000 Gleaner Company Ltd. | Disclaimer | Letters to the Editor | Suggestions |
