New on TikTok: Louise Bennett-Coverley_ The Voice That Reclaimed Jamaican Patwa Ever wonder what happens when one woman dares to speak the language they tried to erase? Louise Bennett-Coverley was Jamaica’s heartbeat. When colonial schools punished kids for speaking Patwa, Miss Lou put it on stage, radio, and TV. She called it our mother tongue — and made the world listen. The elites scoffed, called it “broken English.” She proved it was a full language, carrying history, humor, and pride. Her words gave us courage to claim ourselves. Without her, generations might have been ashamed of the language we dream in. With wit and warmth, Miss Lou helped us decolonize our minds. She taught us to value our roots and speak our language with pride. Louise Bennett-Coverley — this week’s Hero from Unstoppable You. What did Miss Lou mean by “our mother tongue”? She meant Patwa was the first language many of us learned — the voice of our grandmothers, our neighbors, our streets. It carried more than sound. It carried memory, resistance, and joy. Calling it a mother tongue reclaimed its dignity and placed it at the center of Jamaican identity. Why did colonial schools punish students for speaking Patwa? During British rule, Patwa was labeled inferior. Students were forced to speak “proper English” or face punishment. The goal was assimilation. Erasing Patwa was about erasing African cultural survival. Miss Lou pushed back with poetry, performance, and pride. Is Patwa still considered broken English today? Many still misunderstand it. But linguists recognize Jamaican Patwa as a full Creole language — with its own grammar, rules, and expressive power. It isn’t broken English. It’s a legacy of survival and adaptation. Miss Lou’s work helped secure that recognition. Where do we hear Patwa now? Everywhere — from classrooms to dancehalls, film to literature. It shapes how Jamaicans joke, mourn, praise, and teach. You’ll hear it in Bob Marley’s lyrics, street vendors’ calls, children’s playground chants. The language we dream in is alive and public now, because Miss Lou made space for it. #MissLou #PatoisPride #JamaicanLanguage #DecolonizeYourMind #NationLanguage ```json { "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "VideoObject", "name": "Louise Bennett-Coverley: The Voice That Reclaimed Jamaican Patois", "description": "Miss Lou helped us decolonize our minds, value our roots, and speak our language with pride.", "uploadDate": "2025-08-12", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "You" } } ```

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