Interesting Facts about Louise Bennett-Coverley; Google Doodle Celebrates Miss Lou’s 103rd Birthday

Google Doodle celebrates the 103rd birthday of Louise Bennett-Coverley or Miss Lou, a Jamaican poet, folklorist, writer, and educator, on September 7, 2022. Here are some interesting and fun facts about Louise Bennett-Coverley.

Here is a look at the life and work of Louise Bennett-Coverley.

Who was Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley?

Personal

• Birth name: Louise Simone Bennett
• Birth date: 7 September 1919
• Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
• Died on: 26 July 2006 (aged 86)
• Death place: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Resting place: National Heroes Park (Kingston, Jamaica)
• Pen name: Miss Lou
• Famous as: Poet, folklorist, writer, educator
• Language: Jamaican, Patois, English
• Nationality: Jamaican
• Education: Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
• Spouse: Eric Winston Coverley

30 Interesting Facts about Louise Bennett-Coverley

1. Louise Bennett-Coverley or Miss Lou was born on 7 September 1919 on North Street in Kingston, Jamaica. She was a Jamaican poet and teacher. Writing and performing her poems in Jamaican Patois or Creole, Bennett attempted to preserve the practice of introducing poetry, folk songs, and stories in patois (“nation language”).
2. The Jamaican poet, folklorist, activist, and entertainer enabled the country to take pride in its language and culture. Referred to by numerous Jamaicans as “Miss Lou,” Bennett’s commentary and sense of humor made her a famous personality in the country.
3. Louise Bennett-Coverley developed a passion for literature and Jamaican legends in school and started writing poetry. Entranced by her native language, Bennett wrote in the local dialect. Her first public appearance was her presentation of a poem in Jamaican patois at a concert.
4. Before long, Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley was given a weekly column in The Gleaner, the island’s newspaper at the time, however, they initially dismissed Bennett’s poems. Her column, which caught the experiences of Jamaicans in their own language, acquired help across the country.
5. Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley attended primary school at Ebenezer and Calabar, proceeding to St. Simon’s College and Excelsior College, in Kingston.

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6. In 1943, Louise Bennett-Coverley was selected at Friends College in Highgate, St Mary where she studied Jamaican legends. That same year her poetry was first published in the Sunday Gleaner.
7. In 1945, Bennett was the first black student to learn at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) after being awarded a scholarship from the British Council.
8. In the wake of graduating from RADA, Louise Bennett-Coverley worked with repertory organizations in Coventry, Huddersfield, and Amersham, as well as in private revues across England.
9. During her time in the country, she hosted two radio programs for the BBC – Caribbean Carnival (1945-1946) and West Indian Night (1950).
10. In 1942, Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley published her first book of poetry, Dialect Verses. It procured her a British Council scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
11. As the school’s first Black student, Louise Bennett-Coverley worked for the British Broadcasting Commission (BBC) where she hosted the radio program Caribbean Carnival.
12. Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley worked for the Jamaica Social Welfare Commission from 1955 to 1959 and taught legends and drama at the University of the West Indies.
13. Getting back to Jamaica in 1956, Bennett worked as a Drama Officer and later as Director of the Jamaica Social Welfare Commission.
14. On behalf of the commission, Louise Bennett-Coverley moved around the country to train village educators and regional officers with workshops like playmaking, improvisation, and mime.
15. From 1965 to 1982 Louise Bennett-Coverley created Miss Lou’s Views, a series of radio monologues, and in 1970 began hosting the children’s TV program Ring Ding.
16. Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley gave lectures on Jamaican legends in the United States and England. Bennett likewise hosted radio programs like Laugh with Louise and Miss Lou’s Views, and Ring Ding, a beloved Saturday morning children’s TV show airing on Jamaica Broadcasting Commission (JBC).
17. Bennett composed a few books and poetry in Jamaican Patois, assisting with having it perceived as a “nation language” in its own right.
18. Her work impacted numerous different journalists, including Mutabaruka, Linton Kwesi Johnson, and Yasus Afari, to involve it likewise.
19. Louise Bennett-Coverley likewise released various recordings of traditional Jamaican folk music and recordings from her radio and TV programs 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.
20. Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley is credited with giving Harry Belafonte the establishment for his 1956 hit “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” by educating him concerning the Jamaican society melody “Slope and Gully Rider” (the name likewise given as “Day Dah Light”).
21. Bennett was married to Eric Winston Coverley, an early performer and promoter of Jamaican theater, from 30 May 1954 until his death in August 2002.
22. Louise Bennett-Coverley lived the last decade of her life in Scarborough, Ontario. She died on 27 July 2006 at the Scarborough Grace Hospital in the wake of collapsing at her home.
23. Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley got various honors and awards for her work in Jamaican literature and theatre.
24. In recognition of her achievements, Harbourfront Center, a non-profit cultural association in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has a venue named Miss Lou’s Room.
25. The University of Toronto is home to the Louise Bennett Exchange Fellowship in Caribbean Literary Studies for students from the University of West Indies.
26. Her other awards and honors include:
    • Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (1960)
    • Norman Manley Award for Excellence (1972)
    • Order of Jamaica (1974)
    • Musgrave Medal (1978)
    • Honorary Doctor of Letters – York University (1998)
    • Jamaican Order of Merit (2001)
27. Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley’s contribution to Jamaican cultural life was to such an extent that she was honored with the M.B.E., the Norman Manley Award for Excellence (in the field of Arts), the Order of Jamaica (1974) the Institute of Jamaica’s Musgrave Silver and Gold Medals for recognized prominence in the field of Arts and Culture, and in 1983 the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of the West Indies.
28. In 1998, Louise Bennett-Coverley got the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from York University, Toronto, Canada. The Jamaica Government likewise appointed her Cultural Ambassador on the loose for Jamaica.
29. On Jamaica’s independence day in 2001, Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley has named a Member of the Order of Merit for her recognized contribution to the development of the Arts and Culture.
30. So Louise Bennett Coverley’s passion for comedy, art, and education lead her to the world spreading the Jamaican culture and dialect.