Louise Simone Bennett-Coverley or Miss Lou (7 September 1919 – 26 July 2006), was a Jamaican poet,

folklorist Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

, actress, writer, and educator. Writing and performing her poems in

Jamaican Patois Jamaican Patois (; locally rendered Patwah and called Jamaican Creole by linguists) is an English-based creole language with influences from West African, Arawak, Spanish and other languages, spoken primarily in Jamaica and among the Jamaican ...

or Creole, Bennett worked to preserve the practice of presenting poetry, folk songs and stories in patois (" nation language"), establishing the validity of local languages for literary expression.

Early life

Bennett was born on 7 September 1919 on North Street in Kingston, Jamaica. She was the only child of Augustus Cornelius Bennett, the owner of a bakery in

Spanish Town Spanish Town (Jamaican Patois: Spain) is the capital and the largest town in the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica, St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica, Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and Briti ...

, and Kerene Robinson, a dressmaker. After the death of her father in 1926, Bennett was raised primarily by her mother. Bennett attended elementary school at Ebenezer and Calabar, continuing to St. Simon's College and Excelsior College, in Kingston. In 1943, she enrolled at Friends College in

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, St Mary, where she studied Jamaican folklore. That same year, her poetry was first published in the '' Sunday Gleaner''. In 1945, Bennett was the first black student to study at London's

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

(RADA), after being awarded a scholarship from the

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Career

On graduating from RADA, Bennett worked with repertory companies in

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and

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, as well as in intimate revues across England."Biography of Dr. the Honourable Louise Bennett Coverley", Louise Bennett official website.
/ref> During her time in the country, she hosted two radio programmes for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

: ''Caribbean Carnival'' (1945–1946) and ''West Indian Night'' (1950). Bennett worked for the Jamaica Social Welfare Commission from 1955 to 1959, and taught folklore and drama at the

University of the West Indies 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 t ...

. From 1965 to 1982, she produced ''Miss Lou's Views'', a series of radio monologues, and in 1970 started hosting the children's television programme ''Ring Ding''. Airing until 1982, the show was based on Bennett's belief "that 'de pickney-dem learn de sinting dat belong to dem' (that the children learn about their heritage)". As part of the programme, children from across the country were invited to share their artistic talents on-air. In addition to her television appearances, Bennett appeared in various motion pictures, which included ''Calypso'' (1958) and '' Club Paradise'' (1986). Bennett wrote several books and poetry in Jamaican Patois, helping to have it recognized as a " nation language" in its own right. Her work influenced many other writers – among them Mutabaruka, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Yasus Afari – to use it in a similar manner. She also released numerous recordings of traditional Jamaican folk music and recordings from her radio and television shows, including ''Jamaican Folk Songs'', ''Children's Jamaican Songs and Games'', ''Miss Lou’s Views'' (1967), ''Listen to Louise'' (1968), ''Carifesta Ring Ding'' (1976), and ''The Honorable Miss Lou''. She is credited with giving

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte ( ; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte ...

the foundation for his 1956 hit "

Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" is a traditional Jamaican folk song. The song has mento influences, but it is commonly classified as an example of the better known calypso music. It is a call and response work song, from the point of view ...

" by telling him about the Jamaican folk song "Hill and Gully Rider" (the name also given as "Day Dah Light").

Personal life

Bennett was married to Eric Winston Coverley, an early performer and promoter of Jamaican theatre, from 30 May 1954 until his death in August 2002. Together, Bennett and Coverley had a son, Fabian.

Death and funeral

Bennett lived in

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. She died on 27 July 2006 at the Scarborough Grace Hospital after collapsing at her home. A memorial service was held in

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on 3 August 2006, after which her body was flown to Jamaica to lie in state at the National Arena on 7 and 8 August. A funeral was held in Kingston at the Coke Methodist Church at East Parade on 9 August 2006 followed by her interment in the cultural icons section of the country's National Heroes Park. Bennett's husband predeceased her.

Cultural significance and legacy

Dr. Basil Bryan, Consul General of Jamaica, praised Bennett as an inspiration to Jamaicans as she "proudly presented the Jamaican language and culture to a wider world and today we are the beneficiaries of that audacity." She was acclaimed by many for her success in establishing the validity of local languages for literary expression. An important aspect of her writing was its setting in public spaces such as trams, schools and churches allowing readers to see themselves, pre- and post-independence, reflected in her work. Her writing has also been credited with providing a unique perspective on the everyday social experiences of working-class women in a postcolonial landscape. Bennett's 103rd birthday was marked with a Google Doodle on 7 September 2022.

Awards and honours

Bennett received numerous honours and awards for her work in Jamaican literature and theatre. In recognition of her achievements, Harbourfront Centre, a non-profit cultural organisation in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada, has a venue named Miss Lou's Room. The University of Toronto is home to the Louise Bennett Exchange Fellowship in Caribbean Literary Studies for students from the University of West Indies. Her other awards and honours include: *

Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(1960) * Norman Manley Award for Excellence (1972) *

Order of Jamaica The Order of Jamaica is the fifth of the six orders in the Jamaican honours system. The Order was established in 1969, and it is considered the equivalent of a knighthood in the British honours system. Membership in the Order can be conferred upon ...

(1974) * Musgrave Medal (1978) * Honorary Doctor of Letters – York University (1998) * Jamaican Order of Merit (2001)

Select publications

Books

* ''Anancy Stories And Poems In Dialect''. Kingston, Jamaica: The Gleaner Co. Ltd (1944). * * * *

Recordings

* *

References

External links

Louise Bennett Discography
at Smithsonian Folkways * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett-Coverley, Louise 1919 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Jamaican poets 20th-century Jamaican women singers 20th-century Jamaican women writers Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Jamaican expatriates in the United Kingdom Jamaican women poets Members of the Order of Jamaica Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Kingston, Jamaica Recipients of the Musgrave Medal Recipients of the Order of Merit (Jamaica)