Warner-Lewis
PROFESSOR MAUREEN Warner-Lewis and the University of the West Indies Press scooped the prestigious Gordon K. & Sybil Lewis award at the 29th Annual Caribbean Studies Association Conference (CSAC) in St. Kitts-Nevis recently. The winning work, Central Africa in the Caribbean: Transcending Time, Transforming Cultures was published by UWI Press in 2003. The book won from fifty-three book entries submitted by 24 publishers in the Caribbean, USA, UK and Europe, including Cambridge University Press, University of Texas Press, New York University Press, and Amsterdam University Press. The book shares first place prize with Humberto Garcia Muniz and Gloria Vega Rodriguez for their work La ayuda military como negocio: Estados Unidos y el Caribe published by Ediciones Callejon 2002.
HER WORK
In conferring the award, the Caribbean Studies Association described Professor Warner-Lewis' work as: "a copious examination of elements of the cultural and historical nexus between societies in Central Africa and the Caribbean Basin. This work is not just a treatise in cultural studies, but also a work that would resonate with the fields of cultural anthropology, history, linguistics and other areas."
The book is the culmination of three decades of researching and information gathering about African language remnants and cultural practices in the Caribbean. The pursuit of answers led her to interview people in Trinidad, Jamaica, Cuba, Guyana, Grenada, and Guadeloupe.
THE ORIGIN
The professor's research locates the origin of common Caribbean words, sayings, place-names and traditions in West Central Africa, from countries such as the two Congos, and Angola. The derogatory term 'butto' which means a vulgar person or one who lacks finesse is derived from the Congo word 'butu' which means rabble or crowd. Common reference to albinos as 'dundus' has roots in the Congo word 'ndundu'. 'Combolo' which is used in reference to a large group of associates or friends derives from Congo and Angolan word 'kombula' which means to group or assemble.
Professor Warner-Lewis was surprised at the news of the prize as she had not known her work had been submitted. She said she was honoured to have received such a prestigious award.
"It is quite an honour to receive an award named after people for whom there is great respect and affinity. Gordon Lewis was an authority on modern Caribbean history and politics, and I had the privilege of personally knowing Sybil Lewis who was for many years editor of the pioneering journal on Caribbean Studies brought out by the Institute of Caribbean Studies at the University of Puerto Rico," Professor Warner-Lewis said.
Professor Gordon K. Lewis, who died in 1991, was a Welsh man who made the Caribbean his home, and who wrote several landmark books. His Trinidadian wife, Sybil Farrel Lewis, died in 2002.
The CSA citation lauded Professor Warner-Lewis's "engaging writing style, which should make the book both interesting and comprehensible to those who are not expert in the relevant fields." This is the third award Professor Lewis and the UWI Press have received for this work. It was recently named as the Best Academic Publication in 2003 by the Book Industry Association of Jamaica, and at the 2004 UWI Mona Research Day it was recognised as the Best Publication in the Faculty of Humanities and Education.
