Miss Lou celebration next Sunday

An Evening With Miss Lou to honour the life and work of Jamaica's cultural icon will be held on the 95th anniversary of her birth next Sunday, September 7, at the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre, 36 Hope Road, St Andrew.

Organised by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), an agency of the Ministry of Youth and Culture, the celebration for the late Dr the Hon Louise Bennett-Coverly, OM, OJ, MBE, will feature reflections and recitals by Fae Ellington, Amina Blackwood-Meeks, Deon Silvera, and Karen Harriot, among others.

JCDC Field Services Director Marjorie Leyden Vernon disclosed that the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre would be transformed into a replica of Miss Lou's verandah, from which she would tell stories and poems to give Jamaicans the feel and appreciation of what an interaction with Miss Lou was like.

"We are inviting persons to come and share this wonderful experience, which we hope will bring some added awareness to Jamaicans of the significance of this national icon. There will be interesting presentations and prizes and also a best-dressed male and female bandana contest," she said.

The celebration will begin at 5 p.m. and is open to the public.

Miss Lou has been described as a cultural icon and pioneer of Jamaican patois. She wrote and performed Jamaican creole since the 1950s, giving the dialect international recognition.

She died in 2006 at 87 years old.