Tania Hernandez, a Hamilton-based performer, teacher, and author, first encountered the iconic Miss Lou as a child in Jamaica through black-and-white television broadcasts.
“Miss Lou was like everybody’s mother,” said Hernandez. “That’s why she’s called mother of Jamaican culture.”
Louise Bennett-Coverley, known as Miss Lou, was a performer, poet, and folklorist who championed the Jamaican language on a global scale. She was also a major inspiration for Hernandez, who deeply admired her and now pays tribute through performance and literature.
Hernandez’s new book, Ay Ya Yai! Miss Lou: Voice of the Jamaican People, serves as a homage to the cultural icon. “I’m like a student of her works, and so I read a lot about her. I read her poems and I perform them and I sing her folk songs,” Hernandez shared in a recent CBC Fresh Air interview.
The book began as a project during Hernandez’s recovery from an illness that left her unable to walk or speak.
Exploring the ‘Real’ Miss Lou
Miss Lou, who passed away in Toronto in 2006, dedicated her life to educating people worldwide about Jamaican Patois and folklore.
“She left a legacy of culture,” Hernandez emphasized.
Determined to document Miss Lou’s impact thoroughly, Hernandez included contributions from those who knew her personally. “There’s a section called Remembering Miss Lou, and you will hear from people who knew her,” she said. “She was the same on stage and off. Sweet, humble, loved people.”
The book also features translations of Miss Lou’s Patois poems into English, ensuring accessibility to a broader audience. However, Hernandez’s main goal was to explore the essence of Miss Lou beyond her public persona.
In her research, Hernandez discovered the challenges Miss Lou faced in gaining recognition. “Naysayers … were telling her that Patois is not the way to go. That is for uneducated people,” she noted. “I wanted to say how she challenged the status quo … to empower our Jamaican people to reclaim and celebrate our unique cultural identity.”
A Lasting Cultural Influence
Miss Lou’s contributions remain preserved in archives at McMaster University and the National Library of Jamaica.
Phil Vassell, executive director of the Canada Black Music Archives, highlighted her significance in Canada and the Caribbean. “She’s one of the giants of Jamaican culture,” he told CBC Hamilton. “When you look at her body of work and her influence, I don’t think anybody else comes close.”
Her impact extended to artists like Bob Marley, whose lyrics reflected her influence. “Them belly full, but we hungry” came “straight from” Miss Lou’s teachings, according to Vassell.
Miss Lou’s advocacy for Patois as a “nation language” helped establish its legitimacy and pride among Jamaicans. “I don’t think you could find anyone else in the history of Jamaican culture that really pushed that point and made [Patois] a thing that Jamaicans could be proud of,” Vassell said.
Source: Swifteradio.com
