Carolyn Cooper celebrates in style

Chester Francis-Jackson, Gleaner Writer

My daahlings, have y'all ever got an invitation that was so fab, it conveyed all the promises of what was to be expected at the do?

Well, my darlings, if not, there's still time. If y'all missed out on the special invitation sent out by the Afrocentric style maven and intellectual agent provocateur, Professor Carolyn Cooper, y'all missed out. No surprises here, as the announcement of the distinguished Gleaner columnist, author and university lecturer's 60th birthday was the embodiment of all that she represents - earthy, natural style, elegance and the very acme of unmitigated good taste.

My dears, the e-invite promised a style bonanza, and, dovecakes, deliver the professor did, and with such effortless grace. The event was easily the party of the season and definitely a class act!

Hosted at Old Stony Hill's landmark Villa Ronai, the event was all that, and then some! We are talking magic and, of course, pure sophistication, engendered by the august society in attendance and the sheer natural beauty of the venue by moonlight, decorated to enhance its beauty, history and olde world charm!

'Patois Docta'

Cooper earned the ire of those who would have us believe that life is not an evolutionary cycle but one of stagnation, despite new-found discoveries and awareness, by championing the right of those who desire to speak Patois. And with that wrath, the moniker of 'Patois Docta'.

Never one to allow others to characterise her thoughts and actions, Cooper has been unapologetic in her embrace of the Jamaican language, music, dance and character. It has pretty much defined her for those looking on from the outside. But for her students, friends, family, relatives and colleagues, Cooper is all that, and then some. She is the embodiment of scholarly rectitude; the maternal sibling; assertive trailblazer and Afrocentric Caribbean luminary, whose scholarship, intellectual perspicacity and contributions are celebrated internationally.

And on her 60th birthday, friends, relatives, colleagues, admirers and well-wishers journeyed from all over the world to share in the celebrations.

Dears, it made for a truly memorable do, and nothing but!

The celebration began with dinner in the gardens and, my dears, it was an amalgam of foods that ran the gamut of the sun-cooked to the traditional heated dishes of fish, fowl, and a complement of nuts, fruits and salads.

Toasts to the birthday girl came next, but the master of ceremonies, Dr Leahcim Semaj, looking resplendent in his Afrocentric attire, introduced a PowerPoint presentation outlining the various rites of passage and responsibility of ageing that, while interesting, was better suited to a formal conference and or boardroom. It threatened to stymie the exuberance of those out to celebrate in a less stoic manner.

Cooper's brother and Pulse head, Kingsley Cooper, toasted his older sibling with effortless flow and embrace in a moving tribute. And her former spouse, Dr Cecil Gutzmore, was fulsome in praise and salutations, equating his former wife to "a force of nature". Visiting professor, Nigerian sociologist Dr Ronke Oyewumi, addressed the rites of passage of Cooper, who has not only channelled the Motherland, she has caused others to do so, and in a wholesome context!

The floor was opened after the cutting of the birthday cake and a number of other friends proposed toasts. There was also a surprise serenade from DiMario McDowell who paid tribute to the late Gregory Issacs by performing his Night Nurse.

Salutations and anecdotal reveries out of the way, guests moved to the floor and danced the night away.

One is accustomed to seeing Ambassador Dr Nafissatou Diagne, Senegalese ambassador to Jamaica, looking on serenely from vantage points at various social events, but on Saturday, November 20, she took to the dance floor and danced up one fabulous storm!

My dears, Tania Nethersole, corporate lawyer, and disc jockey for the occasion, spun the discs like a musical genius. It was magical!

My darlings, on the social Richter scale, we are talking a perfect tenner here, as not only was the music simply fabulous for dancing and listening, it also captured the Afrocentric theme of the celebrations - evident in the decor, fare and styling that event planner par excellence, Dawn Woodstock, captured so effortlessly.

Dears, we are talking fab like that and nothing but, and with the company being intellectuals, the artistic, the socially conscious and 'visiting' professors, y'all know it was the perfect storm.

Among those out sharing the goodwill were: Kingsley Cooper and his companion Romae Gordon, and fab daughter Safia Cooper; Washington-based attorney-at-law Donette Cooper, in for the big event, and Stacy Cooper Battick and husband Omar Battick; Professor Edward and Sheila Baugh; Professor Mervin and Helen Morris; Professor Hubert Devonish and attorney Carole Davis; Dr Erna Brodber; Dr Victor Chang; Dr Esther Figueroa; Dr Velma Pollard; the esteemed Sonia Mills; Fitz and Norma Harrack; Cecil and Rose Cooper; Carl Davis and Peju Wilson; Barbara Blake Hanna; Robert Graham; the fab Jackie Amber Cohen Hope; the très elegant Sybil N'Toutoume; the charming Annie Paul; the oh-so-fab Sandra Kennedy, who motored in from Montego Bay; Claude Nembhard and Donna McFarlane; Evon and Kathryn Brodber; Raisa Woodstock; Beti Campbell; the fabulous Clare Miller; Renée Rattray; the elegant Cecile Semaj; Karen Ford-Warner; siblings Marcia and Carol Reid; Sanjay Smith; Knolly Moses; Peter and Paula Ferguson; and the lovely Michelle Neita.

Jetting in for the do were Prof Carole Boyce-Davies, from Cornell University; Dr Linda Carty, in from Syracuse University; Marguerite Woodstock-Riley, in from Barbados; Beverley East, in from New York; Babacar M'Bow, United States resident of Senegalese nationality; Janice Anderson, from Montego Bay; plus a number of others.