Krista Henry, Staff Reporter
Lousie Bennett-Coverley (Mammy Love) in a scene from the pantomime 'Anancy and Doumbey' is angry. Her son Jonathan (Geoffrey Frankson) has not done his chores, but before she can chastise him further a neighbour (Inez Hibbert) intervenes. Miss Lou died yesterday. - File
"My childhood was filled
With cultural pride defined
By a bandana woman
Whose smile was as wide as the Caribbean Sea
With a laughter as hearty as Jamaica's jerk spice, soaked into the skin of island life."
- Miss Lou (For Louise Bennett) By Winston Nugent
A woman of great stature, pride, creativity, intelligence and ingenuity; Louise Simone Bennett was an undisputed cultural icon to Jamaica. Unfortunately, the monument of Jamaican pride and culture that was Louise Bennett, fondly known as 'Miss Lou', died yesterday at age 88.
Anne-Marie Bonner, the Consul General in Canada, states "Miss Lou passed away at approximately 12:30 a.m. at the Scarborough Grace Hospital (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). My understanding is that she felt ill and was taken to the hospital."
Miss Lou was a theatrical genius, who was well known for her Anancy stories. She is much grieved by the close friends she has left behind.
Many of Jamaica's formidable figures in theatre and culture yesterday shared with The Gleaner, their impressions of Miss Lou in life and death.
Lenford Salmon, friend of Miss Lou and administrative director for Jambiz International comments "Words would be insufficient, to sum up what she means to us in the world of theatre. I never got the chance to work directly with her on stage, but over time I became captivated by her effervescence and charm."
Mr. Salmon continued to reminisce on his experiences with Miss Lou. He states, "I remember once when she was ill and the Government was panicky and Miss Lou laughed it off, even though she was greatly ill. She came down to watch a production at the Ward Theatre and the air conditioning was out.
The doctor told her not to go in there and she replied over her dead body she was going in. We set up fans all around her and it just goes to show what a determined person she was."
Nation Indebted
He continues "We owe her so much, as Rex Nettleford said, 'her contribution to language is remarkable'. We as a country are indebted to Miss Lou for her ennoblement of recognition to our language. I've travelled to other countries in the Caribbean and otherwise and have heard persons speaking word for word lines from Sizzla and Junior Gong in patois. If it wasn't for Miss Lou, this would not have been possible. Patois would not be recognised."
Lenny Little-White, executive chairman of Mediamix, was a personal acquaintance of Miss Lou, who knew her from they performed together in their younger years at the LTM Pantomime.
He says, "Miss Lou is someone I'm very fond of, her contribution to Jamaica is undisputed. People can be proud of their nation's language because of her. The ability not to speak English is one that brings shame to some persons, a kind of inferiority complex. But because of Miss Lou, people can be proud of their language. Even reggae music, she is a long-time benefactor to that. She is a tower, a monument of Jamaican culture."
He continues "She's a very down-to-earth person, nothing like her status as an icon. She's very ordinary, no matter where you meet her in the world, she greets you the same. She never failed to recognise you or never too busy to take a phone call. Very easy to get along with as an individual. She reminds me of what they call an 'Earth Mother' in the country. No matter how long she lived abroad, she was always a Jamaican at heart."
Comedian Oliver Samuels says, "I have had the great pleasure of being in her company, travelling with her to England and the United States. I was a regular visitor to her home in Gordon Town. I usually try to find time to see her. Despite all of this, she was human with her greatness. She was very proud, very humble. People's Telecom, they were planning to do a gala with her and she just approved it on Monday, and she requested a party at her house. I was one of the fortunate persons who knew her besides her work on the stage. She's a gentle giant, she knew her cultural heritage. She had fantastic memory and she used to tell us stories. It's just sad, but she wouldn't want people to mourn their loss. I'm a very proud recipient of her work. I wish she has a great transition to the next life, may she rest in peace," Samuels said.
Legacy
Actor and author Winston 'Bello' Bell says "I worked with her back in 2000. I've found she was a great contributor to Jamaican culture. We were expecting her death due to her illness, but it's still unexpected. Her legacy cannot be put away in an archive. We must cultivate our craft, youngsters must understand Jamaican life, she was someone who should be revered. If her sole desire is to be buried in Jamaica, then she deserves to be buried in Heroes Circle."
Professor Rex Nettleford also worked closely with Miss Lou for many years. He comments "I've collobrated with her for a long time. We were close friends. I edited her first real big volume of poems called Jamaica Labrish and toured with her in England. I regard her and Ranny Williams as the iconic characters of the LTM Pantomime and its Jamaican character. Right up to her death we were in close communication. She was a woman of great wit and humour."
Louise Bennett's poems have a timelessness and have always remained fresh and relevant, even 20-30 years after they were written. She has succeeded in her mission to have folklore recognised as a valid and integral part of Jamaican culture. Through her tenacity, patois has now been legitimised.
