CONTRIBUTED
Louise 'Miss Lou' Bennett speaks to Prime Minister P.J. Patterson from her home in Canada during her 86th birthday celebrations on September 7. The celebration was orchestrated by People's Telecom Jamaica Limited as part of plans to launch their new product, Miss Lou's Calling Club.LOUISE 'MISS LOU' Bennett, Jamaica's leading comedienne, was feted on her birthday (September 7) by People's Telecom Jamaica Limited (PTJ).
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson who was in St. James at the time, made a live link with Ms. Lou to wish her all the best for her 86th birthday.
Aloun Assamba, Minister of Industry and Tourism, took time out to serenade the lady of the moment with patrons at Jamrock Sports Bar and Grill where an outside broadcast on Power 106's Laing and Company was being broadcast.
Minister Assamba had the unusual task of participating in a simultaneous cake-cutting with members of the PTJ staff at Miss Lou's apartment in Canada.
Michael Dawson and Keecha Hamilton, PTJ's acting chief executive officer and chief operations officer, respectively, did the honours up north.
Miss Lou joined up with the company earlier this year to endorse the Miss Lou's Calling Club.
Miss Lou joins Oliver Samuels at PTJ in continuation of the company's efforts to fuse technology with Jamaica's rich cultural heritage. Kingston, Jamaica; South Florida and Ontario, Canada participated in a three-city celebration of Miss Lou's birthday.
'LIVING LEGEND'
"We wanted people to be equally as enthusiastic about Miss Lou, Jamaica's grande dame of culture, as we are, as she remains a household name on the island as a 'living legend' and a cultural icon," stated an energetic and upbeat Hamilton.
PTJ also used the occasion to relaunch the Miss Lou's Calling Club. The relaunch was arranged to coincide with Ms. Lou's birthday after the original launch date was shelved due to the implementation of the controversial universal service charge and the impact it had on the company's overseas markets, namely, the USA and Canada.
"I am happy to be associated with young entrepreneurs with no big names behind them who want to show the world that Jamaicans are capable of doing anything they set their minds to," said Miss Lou. She said that working with PTJ was a delightful experience, and expressed delight that they had expanded their product base.
