Hamilton author honours Miss Lou, 'one of the giants of Jamaican culture,' in new book
The icon empowered Jamaican people to reclaim their cultural identity, says Hamilton writer Tania Hernandez
Hamilton performer, teacher and author Tania Hernandez first came across Miss Lou as a child on her native island of Jamaica, when she used to see the local icon on her black-and-white TV.
"Miss Lou was like everybody's mother," Hernandez said.
"That's why she's called mother of Jamaican culture."
Miss Lou, whose off-stage name was Louise Bennett-Coverley, was a performer, poet and folklorist who helped popularize the Jamaican language worldwide.
She also inspired Hernandez, also known as Tania Lou, who "always admired" Miss Lou.
She honours the Jamaican icon through her performance and now, through her writing in her new book, Ay Ya Yai! Miss Lou: Voice of the Jamaican People.
"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 said in a recent interview with CBC's Fresh Air.
She started the book as a way to occupy herself at a time when she was recovering from an illness that made her unable to walk or speak.
Getting to know the 'real' Miss Lou
Miss Lou died in 2006 in Toronto, but before that, she educated many around the world with her teachings about the Jamaican language of Patois and the local folklore.
"She left a legacy of culture," said Hernandez.
Hernandez said she wanted to make sure that, in her book, Miss Lou's work would be well-documented, but also that those who knew her had a say.
"There's a section called Remembering Miss Lou, and you will hear from people who knew her," said Hernandez.
"She was the same on stage and off. Sweet, humble, loved people."
LISTEN | Hamilton author Tania Hernandez talks about her new tribute book to Jamaica's Miss Lou
She also did translations of Miss Lou's poems from Patois into English so that everyone could read them.
But most of all, she wanted to get to know the "real Miss Lou inside."
Hernandez talks about a video she watched of Miss Lou and the struggles of becoming the idol she's remembered as.
"Naysayers … were telling her that Patois is not the way to go. That is for uneducated people," she said.
"I wanted to say how she challenged the status quo … to empower our Jamaican people to reclaim and celebrate our unique cultural identity."
A 'giant' of Jamaican culture
Today, Miss Lou's work is preserved in archives at McMaster University and the National Library of Jamaica.
Phil Vassell, executive director of the Canada Black Music Archives, said Miss Lou spent a good portion of her life in Canada and had a "lasting influence here amongst not just Jamaicans, but to Caribbean people also."
"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."
Musicians like Bob Marley, the legendary Jamaican reggae artist, were inspired by Miss Lou, said Vassell.
Marley's lyrics like "them belly full, but we hungry," were taken "straight from" Miss Lou, according to him.
"She had a significant influence on him as well as a number of other people in the music industry, people in theater, people who were writing books," said Vassell.
He said Miss Lou talked about Patois as "nation language," and is responsible for making the language "respectable."
"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," he said.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from CBC's Fresh Air, Desmond Brown