Bloggers, this is a picture ov Miss Lou. Mi Grandma is still at de top ov mi female luv list, but Miss Lou an' mi English teacher from Wolmer's are two women whom ah also luv an' respect--Barbara Gloudon's prob'ly still another, but that's a whole 'nother Blog. Anyway, ah luv Miss Lou for many reasons. She's always been wise enough to value de culture ov her nation. Some folk never learn how to value their own, so it was a great lesson ah learnt as a child an' even now from Miss Lou. Mi earliest memories involved watchin' de end ov her Ring Ding career, an' it would've been so much nicer to have seen her throughout her Ring Ding TV career, but I'm still grateful that ah saw any ov it--even if it was de very end. She's always celebrated de J'can patois dialect in poetry an' prose, when others sneered at their own dialect in JA--what's even more remarkable is that she excelled an' still excels at it, havin' taken it to de level ov an art-form. She's quite elderly now, an' unfortunately a widow as ov a few years ago. She never got rich from her vast volume ov work, but she didn't do any ov it for de luv ov money, she did it for de luv ov people an' de preservation ov their/her culture, so she deserves to be happy. If she ever reads this Blog, ah want her to know that ah luv her too. I'll post a few ov her poems every now an' then, so we can enjoy her talent on de Blog. Have a nice weekend!
5 comments:
Miss Lou is one of my favorite cultural icons - a truly great Jamaican.... I was a big Ring Ding fan, and am trying to get one of the Miss Lou dollies - you squeeze the hand and it says.... "Is long time gyal mi nevah see yah, cum mek me hol yu han'" - Just lovely!!!
My favorite poem by her is "Call mi breddah!"....They should release Ring Ding on CD and have the sales proceeds go to her - I would buy just to see who was on, and hear her sing "Mango Time"...
Princess P de la Bimshire
Saw some clips on her a few years ago on some CMC programmes and they were good.How old is Miss Lou?
Kiss Kiss, Princess, but a long time mi never see you either!! It's great to hear from ya. Hope you've been havin' a fine year so far, man. That "Call Mi Breddah" poem is vintage Miss Lou, fe true, full ov dramatic humour an' J'can cuss cuss--"No Likkle Twang" is also a fave ov mine. Those dolls sound fabulous, Princess, de J'can gov't must mek sure that a heroine like Miss Lou is well-set, an' that har bread well-butta. Take care, luv!!
Kami, she was born on Sept. 7, 1919, so she's 84 now. It's great that yu get to see some ov her work, her life's been full ov such hearty cultural activism that her work should be required readin' for everyone in de English-speakin' Caribbean--not just for entertainment, but to help to shape children's cultural identity.
Miss Lou did impact on all our lives culturally Mel. What always gets to me though is that despite the impact she had on the promotion of Jamaican culture, she has lived overseas for a number of years now. (Mark you, I'm not blaming her for this.) In a way, I find it sad. The way I see it, she should be very much resident here at yard. Then again, what of social security? Personal safety etc. for a woman of 84 years. Again, I lament for our country...so many of of its good citizens lost to other so called 'greener pastures'. Sigh.
Anyway, will change the tone and end like Miss Lou would do and say, "Heh haaaaay! Clap dem nuh!" :-) Dr. D.
Doc, it's really not fair that someone who's done so much for her country can't afford life an' medical care in her home-land. Ah heard that she came back home last year, but maybe she hasn't done so permanently. Anyway, we still a clap har! (Doc, yu just bring back Ring Ding clear as day, when yu say, "Clap dem nuh! lol!)
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