Like most Caribbean Islands - and I am sure many countries worldwide - Jamaica has its own wonderful dialect. One definition of dialect says it’s a “version of a language differing in some aspects of grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary from other forms of the same language”.

Jamaica is an English speaking country and our dialect, the Jamaican Patois (pronounced Patwa) is dynamic, colourful, and expressive of its people and culture. And it is certainly a pride we share, thanks to the creativity and ingenuity of our Miss Lou. She wore the hats of folklorist, writer, artiste…..and to state that she was indeed a cultural icon is to attempt to sum up the indelible mark she has made and continues to make on the Jamaican culture.

Miss Lou, who was born in 1919, grew up in a time when the Jamaican people were encouraged to mimic the lifestyle and language of colonialism. And while Miss Lou took advantage of her very Standard English education, she mentally continued to record the language that was spoken among ‘the natives’. With this wealth of knowledge, she introduced us to poetry in good old Jamaican fashion – Jamaica talk/patois – and allowed us to feel pride in ourselves, our language and cultural heritage.

Through poetry (her most famous published work “Jamaica Labrish”/1966), she uplifted the spirits of the Jamaican people, skillfully integrating humour, social commentary and everyday way of life. And through poetry, we got a sense of our ‘Jamaican-ness’ and the importance of appreciating our language and our cultural legacy.

Writing poetry in true Jamaican style – patois – may not seem to some the ideal strategy for international marketability. Unless you are a Jamaican living overseas, or a regular visitor to our shores who cannot get enough of us island folks chatting in the island lingo, you would probably wonder what on earth I was talking about if I said “…mi se mi naa fallah yu.” Translation: “I said I am not going to follow you.”

But writing poetry or even a novel in patois is not just about how many copies you will sell. It is about being true to cultural identity, your roots. To express oneself in the language that was created to define us as a people is, in my opinion, a true testament to the understanding of what Miss Lou wanted to accomplish with her legacy. And it is certainly one way of sharing a part of ourselves with those who are interested in exploring, in its truest sense, the globalized world.

Now here is a challenge for you. I wrote the following in honor of Miss Lou. Can you relate to the poem in this dialect? Happy translating.

Tru to Miss Lou
Mi se, when mi get di news
dat wi sweet boonoonunus Miss Lou
gane to ar final restin place
Mi shet mi yai and picha ar smilin face
What a blesin shi is to JA.
What a legaci shi lef behine.
Shi mek wi proud a wi langwich
di kina pride whe hard fi define
Shi say wi no havi prove to no one
why patwa a paat a wi ID.
Miss Lou believe wi mus talk wi talk
and live in haamoni.
Tanks Miss Lou…..wi JA pride
Yu kno how fi flex fi tru.
Yu a wi hero, no matta whe u de
And dis patwa talk, no go no whe.

I think when we all learn to grasp the profound effect that poetry has in any language, we can truly appreciate its impact and the potential of its dynamics on our social, cultural, emotional and spiritual fabric. Even through dialect, you can enlighten the reader because it also has the strength of its expression. Miss Lou has given Jamaica, the Caribbean and the world a legacy that will not be forgotten.