Awards for Miss Lou, Mikey Smith

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

The Poetic Pioneers Award, the Dub Traffickers' annual recognition of contribution to poetry in Jamaica, has been handed out since 2002, except for 2005 and 2006. Artist Michael Parchment was the first awardee, with Lee 'Scratch' Perry (2003), The Gleaner (2004), the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) jointly (2007), Tastee Ltd (2008), Professor Mervyn Morris (2009) and Sangster's Book Stores (2010) the subsequent recipients.

Each year the recipient or a representative of the organisation has accepted the award. This year, however, the Poetic Pioneers were The Honourable Louise Bennett-Coverley, who died in 2006, and dub poet Mikey Smith, who was murdered in 1983. Dub Traffickers' head, Rass Rodd, thought it only natural to hand their awards over to the Nature Preservation Foundation's CEO Robert Lalor last Wednesday at Hope Gardens, St Andrew.

Rodd said at Hope Gardens, "Poets Corner has been established since 1951". Further, "In 2004, we had planted trees there and done some clean-up. We had planted trees in honour of Miss Lou and Mikey Smith. That is how we were led to present to the Nature Preservation Foundation."

The foundation is responsible for the management and development of Hope Gardens.

Among Bennett-Coverley's work is the book, Jamaica Labrish, and she also wrote the popular song, Evening Time. Smith's 'Me Cyaa Believe It' is one of his best-known poems.

Still, Rodd says, "Next year is Jamaica's 50th anniversary of Independence and Miss Lou's work is still not recognised as poetry. If we are to use the highest standard in the academic field, Marcus Garvey and Miss Lou's work is more prose."

He points out that Smith and renowned Jamaican poet Claude McKay, whose 'If We Must Die' is a celebrated poem, "sound like dub. Mutabaruka had even recorded Miss Lou on a dub rhythm".

He is also critical of the spread of poetry, as he said, "Up to today, we have done very little to create an audience for poetry. There are certain cycles that keep going, like the Poetry Society of Jamaica (which meets on the final Tuesday of each month at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts), the JCDC and The Gleaner. We have not created the audience to attract Corporate Jamaica."

There was no external financial support for the joint Poetic Pioneers awards this year. However, Rodd is optimistic that "if we are doing something national, like World Poetry Day, we hope to get support".