Maureen Warner-Lewis

Last updated
Maureen Warner-Lewis
Born
Maureen Warner

1943 (age 80–81)
Tobago, British West Indies
NationalityTrinidadian and Tobagonian
Alma mater University of the West Indies
OccupationAcademic
Years active1968–2015
Notable workGuinea's Other Suns: The African Dynamic in Trinidad Culture (1991)
Spouse
Rupert Lewis
​
(m. 1973)​

Maureen Warner-Lewis (born 1943) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian academic whose career focused on the linguistic heritage and unique cultural traditions of the African diaspora of the Caribbean. Her area of focus has been to recover the links between African cultures and Caribbean cultures. She has been awarded multiple prizes for her works, including two Gordon K. and Sybil Lewis Awards, the Gold Musgrave Medal of the Institute of Jamaica, and she was inducted into the Literary Hall of Fame of Tobago.

Contents

Early life and education

Maureen Warner was born in 1943 on Tobago in the British West Indies to Eleene (née Sampson) and Carlton Whitborne Warner. [1] When she was three, the family moved to Tunapuna, on Trinidad, where she was raised along with three siblings. [1] [2] Her father was a pharmacist. Warner graduated from St. Joseph's Convent, Port of Spain, an all-girls high school, and in 1962 entered the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Mona, Jamaica, on a scholarship programme. [1] As was typical for British education in the Caribbean at the time, Africa was rarely mentioned. [3] "Privilege and correctness were associated with things European", while African traditions were "either ignored, or considered contemptible, or ridiculous". [4] Completing a degree in English literature in 1965, she continued her education with graduate studies at the University of York, where she studied linguistics. She focused on Creole languages and graduated in 1967 with her master's degree. [1] [2]

Career

Upon completion of her degree, Warner taught briefly in Trinidad, but in 1968, she moved to the Ekiti region of western Nigeria. She taught English and literature at a boarding school, and learned the Yoruba language, while learning about the culture. She also traveled to other African nations, like Benin, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast. [2] She returned to the Caribbean in 1970 and was hired as lecturer and English tutor at the University of the West Indies. [1] [5] Along with scholars like Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Jacob Delworth Elder, and Walter Rodney, she focused on recovering and documenting Afro-Caribbean history. She served as editor of the journal Bulletin, African Studies Association of the West Indies. [1]

In 1973, Warner married Rupert Lewis, also an academic at UWI, and subsequently the couple had a daughter, Yewande, and a son Jide. [6] [7] Warner-Lewis progressed through the ranks at UWI, becoming a Senior Lecturer, Reader and full professor. [5] She completed her PhD in 1984 and the following year was made head of the English Department at UWI. [7]

Warner-Lewis' areas of focus were Afro-Caribbean languages and oral literature. [5] Using linguistic analysis and ethnographic techniques, Warner evaluated cultural traditions, linking them to their ethnic roots. [1] Her Pan-Caribbean approach based in meticulous research uncovered many linguistic links between Africa and the Caribbean in all aspects of culture. [8] Included in her major publications are Guinea's Other Suns: The African Dynamic in Trinidad Culture (1991), Yoruba Songs of Trinidad (1994), Trinidad Yoruba: From Mother Tongue to Memory (1996), and African Continuities in the Linguistic Heritage of Jamaica (1996). [1] [9] Her book Central Africa in the Caribbean: Transcending Time, Transforming Culture (2003) evaluated the influence from the Congo throughout the region. [1] It was selected as the "Best Academic Publication of 2003" by the Book Industry Association in Jamaica; the "Best Publication" of UWI's Faculty of Humanities and Education in 2004; and was honoured by the Caribbean Studies Association Conference in 2004 with the Gordon K. and Sybil Lewis Award, after having won over 53 other international entries. [10]

The following year, Warner-Lewis became a professor emeritus, though she continued to publish and give lectures on Afro-Caribbean traditions. [11] [12] Her book Archibald Monteath: Igbo, Jamaican, Moravian (2007) told the story of a slave who bought his freedom. Her research on his story took her from Eastern Nigeria to Australia, Scotland, and Jamaica to piece together the history which had been left out of the slave narrative published in 1864. [13] The book garnered Warner-Lewis a second Gordon K. and Sybil Lewis Award beating out 33 other submissions for the prize. [14] In 2009, she was awarded the Gold Musgrave Medal of the Institute of Jamaica for her contributions and scholarship on the heritage and literary traditions of the Caribbean. [15] In 2012, Warner-Lewis was inducted into Tobago's Literary Hall of Fame [11] and in 2015, a second edition of her book Guinea's Other Suns was released by UWI Press. [16]

Related Research Articles

The Honourable Edward Kamau Brathwaite, CHB, was a Barbadian poet and academic, widely considered one of the major voices in the Caribbean literary canon. Formerly a professor of Comparative Literature at New York University, Brathwaite was the 2006 International Winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize, for his volume of poetry Born to Slow Horses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of the West Indies</span> International university in the Caribbean

The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands. Each country is either a member of the Commonwealth of Nations or a British Overseas Territory. The aim of the university is to help "unlock the potential for economic and cultural growth" in the West Indies, thus allowing improved regional autonomy. The university was originally instituted as an independent external college of the University of London.

Kimberly-Ann Robinson-Walcott is a Jamaican poet and editor. She has been the editor-in-chief of the Jamaica Journal since 2004 and editor-in-chief of the Caribbean Quarterly since 2010. Robinson-Walcott is the author of a study of the white Jamaican novelist Anthony Winkler, called Out of Order! (2006).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musgrave Medal</span> Annual award by the Institute of Jamaica

The Musgrave Medal is an annual award by the Institute of Jamaica in recognition of achievement in art, science, and literature. Originally conceived in 1889 and named in memory of Sir Anthony Musgrave, the founder of the Institute and the former Governor of Jamaica who had died the previous year, the medal was the first to be awarded in the Western Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marina Salandy-Brown</span> Trinidad and Tobago journalist, broadcaster and cultural activist

Marina Salandy-Brown FRSA, Hon. FRSL, is a Trinidadian journalist, broadcaster and cultural activist. She was formerly an editor and Senior Manager in Radio and News and Current Affairs programmes with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in London, one of the BBC's few top executives from an ethnic minority background. She is the founder and inaugural director of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, held annually in Trinidad and Tobago since 2011, "the biggest literary festival in the Anglophone Caribbean", and of the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature. She was also co-founder of the Hollick Arvon Caribbean Writers Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1958 West Indies federal elections</span>

Federal elections were held in the West Indies Federation for the first and only time on 25 March 1958. The result was a victory for the West Indies Federal Labour Party, which won 25 of the 45 seats in the House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Morris Knibb</span>

Mary Morris Knibb, MBE was a Jamaican teacher, social reformer and philanthropist. She founded the Morris Knibb Preparatory School and donated a building which is used as the headquarters of the Moravian Church in Jamaica as well as land for construction of a community center. Morris Knibb was a women's rights activist and the first elected councilwomen in Jamaica. She was the first woman to vie for a seat in the House when Universal Suffrage was granted to all Jamaicans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Bishop</span> Trinidadian educator, music director and artist (1940–2011)

Patricia Alison "Pat" Bishop TC was a Trinidadian educator, music director, artist and cultural icon. She was one of the first women to arrange for steelbands and was the recipient of the Trinity Cross, the highest of the National Awards of Trinidad and Tobago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maymie de Mena</span> American activist (1879–1953)

Maymie de Mena was an American-born activist who became one of the highest-ranking officers in the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). She has been credited with keeping the organization alive after Marcus Garvey's conviction for mail fraud and deportation from the United States.

Sheila Dorothy King, CD was a Barbadian-born, Jamaican academic and physician. She was the second woman to be appointed as full professor at the University of the West Indies (UWI). She was the first woman appointed as a professor in the Faculty of Medicine in 1983, ten years after she was appointed as head of UWI's Microbiology Department. A specialist in infectious disease and viral epidemiology, she advised numerous national, regional and international departments and governmental agencies on such diseases as dengue, influenza, and typhoid. In 1998, she was honored as a Commander of the Order of Distinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabel Ursula Teshea</span> Afro-Trinidadian social worker, human rights activist and politician

Isabel Ursula Teshea, TC was an Afro-Trinidadian social worker, human rights activist, and politician. One of the founders of the People's National Movement, she served as vice chair of the party and was the first woman to hold the office. When Trinidad and Tobago gained its independence from Britain, she ran as a candidate, becoming the first woman elected in the newly established House of Representatives. She became the first woman cabinet Minister and later ambassador for the country. Posthumously, she was awarded the Trinity Cross, the highest honor of the country.

Barbara Joy Gloudon was a Jamaican writer. She received two Seprod Awards from the Press Association of Jamaica and Order of Distinction. Gloudon was a scriptwriter for Jamaica's Little Theatre Movement (LTM) and wrote radio drama. She hosted a radio talk show for thirty years and became chair of the LTM. She was granted the Order of Jamaica in 1992 and became a fellow of the Institute of Jamaica in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marguerite Wyke</span> Trinidadian politician, artist and writer (1908–1995)

Marguerite WykeOBE was an American-born Trinidadian teacher, poet, artist and politician. After growing up in Jersey City, New Jersey, and working as a teacher, she married and moved to Canada for a decade and then relocated to Trinidad. Writing for various journals and newspapers, and cultivating the artistic community in Trinidad, she became active in local politics. Renouncing her U.S. citizenship, Wyke became a Trinidadian citizen in 1953 and became active in the island's governance. With the establishment of the West Indies Federation, she was appointed as one of two senators from Trinidad and Tobago and one of only two women senators to serve in the Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation. When the Federation dissolved, Wyke returned to her artistic endeavors, publishing poetry and participating in various art media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gema Ramkeesoon</span> Trinidadian and Tobagonian social worker and activist

Gema Ramkeesoon was a Trinidadian and Tobagonian social worker and women's rights activist who was one of the early pioneers of the women's movement in Trinidad and Tobago. She was honored for her social service work as a member of the Order of the British Empire in 1950 and received the gold Hummingbird Medal from Trinidad and Tobago in 1976.

Daniel James, also known as Gentle Daniel, was a light-heavyweight boxer from Trinidad & Tobago. He spent time in Belmont Orphanage. He retired in 1953. He was Inducted into WITCO’s Trinidad & Tobago Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.

Bridget Jones was a British literary academic who pioneered the inclusion of Caribbean literature in European university studies programs. While teaching French literature at the University of the West Indies, Jones developed an interest in French Caribbean writing and developed one of the first PhD curricula focused on francophone Caribbean literature. Upon returning to England, she taught at the University of Reading and the Roehampton Institute. An annual award, distributed by the Society for Caribbean Studies, as well as a scholarship program, given by the University of the West Indies, are named in her honour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enid Gonsalves</span>

Enid Gonsalves, OD was a Jamaican teacher and community activist from Hanover Parish, Jamaica. She was recognized throughout her career with many distinctions including the Governor General's Achievement Award and the Prime Minister's Medal for Community Service and Education. In 2008 she was honoured as an officer in the Order of Distinction and the following year, received the Holy See's Medal of Good Merit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazel Monteith</span> Jamaican senator, radio personality and social worker

Hazel Conupe Monteith, O.D., J.P. was an Afro-Jamaican consumer rights advocate, radio personality and social worker. Graduating from the first course in social work offered by the University of the West Indies, Monteith worked for twelve years as a traveling field agent coordinating social welfare projects for the Jamaica Federation of Women.

Nerine Barrett is a Jamaican classical pianist, one of the few black women who have achieved international recognition as a pianist. She was selected in 1966 by the Young Concert Artists to appear at Carnegie Hall and the following year won the Mozart Memorial Prize of the Haydn-Mozart Society of London. In the 1980s, she began teaching music as a professor at the Hochschule für Musik Saar and later at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold. She continued to perform both as a solo artist and as part of the Trio Paideia.

Helen Pyne-Timothy was a Jamaican feminist literary critic and academic, who was a founder and the inaugural president of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars (ACWWS), a contributing editor of the journal MaComère, and the author of the 1998 book The Woman, the Writer and Caribbean Society.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gibbons 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Williams 1986, p. 31.
  3. ↑ Warner-Lewis 2009, p. 1.
  4. ↑ Warner-Lewis 2009, p. 2.
  5. 1 2 3 National Library of Jamaica 2014.
  6. ↑ The Gleaner 2013, p. 81.
  7. 1 2 Williams 1986, p. 32.
  8. ↑ Smith 2005, pp. 202–203.
  9. ↑ Okpewho 2009, p. xi.
  10. ↑ The Gleaner 2004, p. 73.
  11. 1 2 Trinidad and Tobago Newsday 2012.
  12. ↑ Persad 2007.
  13. ↑ Cooke 2008, p. D-4.
  14. ↑ The Gleaner 2008, p. 52.
  15. ↑ Cooke 2009, p. 65.
  16. ↑ Dupraj 2015.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.