Louise Bennett-Coverley

Bennett was born on 7 September 1919 on North Street in Kingston, Jamaica.{{Cite book|last=Hohn|first=Nadia L.|title=A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louis Bennett Coverly Found Her Voice.|publisher=Owlkids Books|year=2019|isbn=9781771473507|location=Toronto, ON|pages=Author's Note}} She was the only child of Augustus Cornelius Bennett, the owner of a bakery in Spanish Town, 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 Highgate, St Mary, where she studied Jamaican folklore. That same year, her poetry was first published in the Sunday Gleaner.{{cite web |title=Louise Bennett, Queen of Jamaican Culture |url=https://library.mcmaster.ca/archives/exhibits/louise-bennett-queen-jamaican-culture |website=Archives & Research Collections |publisher=McMaster University Library |access-date=1 May 2016 |date=2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808010403/https://library.mcmaster.ca/archives/exhibits/louise-bennett-queen-jamaican-culture |archive-date=8 August 2016 |url-status=dead }} In 1945, Bennett was the first black student to study at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), after being awarded a scholarship from the British Council.{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Xavier |title=Louise Bennett-Coverley Biography |url=http://jamaicans.com/missloubio/ |access-date=28 November 2015 |date=2003}}{{cite news |last1=Moses |first1=Knolly |title=Louise Bennett, Jamaican Folklorist, Dies at 86 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/29/arts/29bennett.html |access-date=28 November 2015 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=29 July 2006}}{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Mervyn |author-link=Mervyn Morris |title=Louise Bennett-Coverley |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/aug/01/guardianobituaries.booksobituaries |access-date=28 November 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=1 August 2006}}

On graduating from RADA, Bennett worked with repertory companies in Coventry, Huddersfield and Amersham, as well as in intimate revues across England.[http://www.louisebennett.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=239&IteMid=141 "Biography of Dr. the Honourable Louise Bennett Coverley", Louise Bennett official website.] During her time in the country, she hosted two radio programmes for the BBC: 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.{{cite web |title=Hon. Louise Bennett Coverley OM, OJ, MBE 1919–2006 |url=http://jcdc.gov.jm/uploads/advisories/Miss%20Lou%20Brochure%2011.pdf |publisher=Jamaica Cultural Development Agency |access-date=14 August 2016}} 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)".{{cite journal |last1=Morris |first1=Mervyn |title=Remembering Miss Lou |journal=Caribbean Beat |date=2006 |issue=82 |url=http://caribbean-beat.com/issue-82/remembering-miss-lou#axzz4HJsXjDMy |access-date=14 August 2016}} 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.{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Dawn P. |title=Who's Who in Black Canada : Black success and Black excellence in Canada : a contemporary directory |date=2002 |publisher=D. Williams |location=Toronto |isbn=9780973138412 |pages=61–62 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zmFMW7P91RoC}} 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 the foundation for his 1956 hit "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" by telling him about the Jamaican folk song "Hill and Gully Rider" (the name also given as "Day Dah Light").{{cite news |last1=Stewart |first1=Jocelyn Y. |title=Louise Bennett-Coverly, 86; Helped Preserve Culture and Language of Jamaica |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-aug-02-me-bennett-coverly2-story.html |access-date=14 September 2016 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2 August 2006}}{{cite news |title=10. Louise Simone Bennett-Coverley or Miss Lou |url=https://www.thestar.com/life/travel/jamaica50/2012/06/06/10_louise_simone_bennettcoverley_or_miss_lou.html|access-date=14 September 2016|work=Toronto Star|date=6 June 2012}}

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.{{cite news |title=Eric Coverley dies at 91 – News |url=http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/30102_Eric-Coverley-dies-at-91 |access-date=6 August 2016 |work=Jamaica Observer |date=8 August 2002}} Together, Bennett and Coverley had a son, Fabian.

Bennett lived in Scarborough, Ontario. She died on 27 July 2006 at the Scarborough Grace Hospital after collapsing at her home. A memorial service was held in Toronto 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.{{cite web |title=Miss Lou to be Buried on August 9 |url=http://jis.gov.jm/miss-lou-to-be-buried-on-august-9/ |publisher=Jamaican Information Service |access-date=28 November 2015 |date=1 August 2006}}{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=Linton Kwesi |authorlink=Linton Kwesi Johnson |title=Louise Bennett, Voice of a People |journal=Wasafiri |date=March 2007 |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=70–71 |doi=10.1080/02690050601097773|s2cid=162314187 }}

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.""A Phenomenal Woman – the Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley." The Weekly Gleaner, North American ed.: 21 August 2006. ProQuest. Web. 4 March 2016. 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.{{cite journal |last1=Bailey |first1=Carol |title=Looking in: Louise Bennett's Pioneering Caribbean Postcolonial Discourse |journal=Journal of West Indian Literature |date=1 January 2009 |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=20–31 |jstor=23019946}} Her writing has also been credited with providing a unique perspective on the everyday social experiences of working-class women in a postcolonial landscape.{{cite journal |last1=Neigh |first1=Janet |title=The Lickle Space of the Tramcar in Louise Bennett's Feminist Postcolonial Poetics |journal=Journal of West Indian Literature |date=1 January 2009 |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=5–19 |jstor=23019945}}

Bennett's 103rd birthday was marked with a Google Doodle on 7 September 2022.{{cite news |last1=Abbott |first1=Christian |title=Who is Louise 'Miss Lou' Bennett Coverley? Google Doodle celebrates life of icon |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/who-louise-miss-lou-bennett-27926891 |access-date=7 September 2022 |work=The Mirror |date=7 September 2022}}

In 2011, photographs, audiovisual recordings, correspondence, awards and other material regarding Bennett were donated to the McMaster University Library by her family with the intention of having selections from the fonds, which date from 1941 to 2008, digitized and made available online as part of a digital archive{{cite news |last1=Wong |first1=D. |title=A treasure trove from Miss Lou |url=http://www.thespec.com/news-story/2174025-a-treasure-trove-from-miss-lou/ |access-date=28 November 2015 |work=Hamilton Spectator |date=14 February 2011}} A selection of Bennett's personal papers are also available at the National Library of Jamaica. Launched in October 2016, the Miss Lou Archives contains previously unpublished archival material, including photos, audio recording, diaries and correspondence.{{cite news|last1=Cross|first1=Jason|title=Miss Lou Archives launched at National Library of Jamaica to promote her great legacy|url=http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20161021/miss-lou-archives-launched-national-library-jamaica-promote-her-great-legacy|access-date=27 November 2016|work=jamaica-gleaner.com|date=21 October 2016}} The holdings of the Miss Lou Archives were donated to the Library by Bennett as she prepared to take up residence in Canada.{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Richard|title=Miss Lou Archives opens at National Library - Entertainment|url=http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Miss-Lou-Archives-opens-at-National-Gallery_78079|access-date=27 November 2016|work=Jamaica Observer|date=24 October 2016}}

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, Canada, has a venue named Miss Lou's Room.{{cite web |url=http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/whoweare/venuerentals/misslou.cfm |title=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.{{cite book |last1=Morris |first1=Mervyn |title=Miss Lou: Louise Bennett and Jamaican Culture |date=2014 |publisher=Andrews UK Limited |pages=126 |isbn=9781909930117 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EBvABAAAQBAJ&q=Miss%20Lou%3A%20Louise%20Bennett%20and%20Jamaican%20Culture&pg=PP1 |access-date=1 May 2016}}{{cite web |title=Louise Bennett Exchange Fellowship in Caribbean Literary Studies University of Toronto – University of West Indies |url=http://www.adm.utoronto.ca/awards/university-of-toronto-award-competitions/louise-bennett-exchange-fellowship-in-caribbean-literary-studies-university-of-toronto-university-of-west-indies/ |publisher=University of Toronto |access-date=1 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924163639/http://www.adm.utoronto.ca/awards/university-of-toronto-award-competitions/louise-bennett-exchange-fellowship-in-caribbean-literary-studies-university-of-toronto-university-of-west-indies/ |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=dead }} Her other awards and honours include:

• Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (1960){{cite news |last1=Infantry |first1=Ashante |title=Jamaican 'royal' reigns here by fostering joy of language Island's 'cultural ambassador' to be honored for 60 years of work in arts |work=Toronto Star |date=3 February 1996}}
• Norman Manley Award for Excellence (1972){{cite news |title=The Mother Of Jamaican Culture Remembered |url=http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120603/ent/ent5.html |access-date=1 May 2016 |newspaper=The Gleaner |date=3 June 2012}}
• Order of Jamaica (1974)
• Musgrave Medal (1978)
• Honorary Doctor of Letters – York University (1998){{cite web |title=Poet and storyteller 'Miss Lou' |url=http://yfile.news.yorku.ca/2006/07/28/poet-and-storyteller-miss-lou/ |website=York University |publisher=YFile |access-date=1 May 2016 |date=28 July 2006}}
• Jamaican Order of Merit (2001)

• Anancy Stories And Poems In Dialect. Kingston, Jamaica: The Gleaner Co. Ltd (1944).
• {{cite book |title=Laugh with Louise: A pot-pourri of Jamaican folklore |year=1961 |publisher=City Printery |location=Kingston |oclc=76815511}}
• {{cite book |title=Jamaica Labrish |title-link=Jamaica Labrish |year=1966 |publisher=Sangster's Book Stores |location=Jamaica |oclc=1968770}}
• {{cite book |title=Selected Poems |year=1982 |publisher=Sangster's Book Stores |location=Jamaica}}
• {{cite book |title=Auntie Roachy Seh |year=1993 |publisher=Sangster's Book Stores |location=Jamaica}}

• {{cite book | title=Jamaican Folk Songs |oclc=255714807 |publisher=Folkways |location=New York |year=1954}}
• {{cite book |title=Yes m'dear: Miss Lou live! |oclc=23971117 |publisher=Sonic Sounds |language=English |year=1982}}

• Caribbean literature

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://folkways.si.edu/search?query=Louise+Bennett Louise Bennett Discography] at Smithsonian Folkways
• {{cite web |title=Louise Bennett Coverley 'Miss Lou' fonds |url=http://digitalarchive.mcmaster.ca/islandora/object/macrepo%3A33172 |website=Digital Archive @ McMaster University Library |publisher=McMaster University Library |access-date=28 November 2015}}
• {{cite web |title=Louise Bennett Coverley fonds |url=https://library.mcmaster.ca/archives/findaids/fonds/b/bennett.htm |website=McMaster University Library |publisher=William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections |access-date=28 November 2015}}
• {{cite web |title=Miss Lou Archives |url=http://www.nlj.gov.jm/archives/Miss_Lou/index.html |publisher=National Library of Jamaica |access-date=14 November 2016}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett-Coverley, Louise}}

Category:1919 births

Category:2006 deaths

Category:20th-century Jamaican poets

Category:20th-century Jamaican women singers

Category:20th-century Jamaican women writers

Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Category:Jamaican expatriates in the United Kingdom

Category:Jamaican women poets

Category:Members of the Order of Jamaica

Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire

Category:People from Kingston, Jamaica

Category:Recipients of the Musgrave Medal

Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit (Jamaica)