Miss lou

Pop story gi mi! That's just one of the timeless phrases made famous by Louise Bennett-Coverley, the buxom, exuberant queen of Jamaican dialect. Today is the 90th anniversary of the legendary folklorist's birth. Miss Lou died July 26, 2006, in Toronto, Canada.

Rex Nettleford, professor emeritus at the University of the West Indies and a close friend of Miss Lou, said it was heartening that her legacy endured, thanks to a new generation of fans which spans dancehall and academia.

"I was fascinated to see how many young people were reciting her poems in the JCDC (Jamaica Cultural Development Commission) competitions this year," Nettleford said.

Miss Lou's work is also part of the UWI's Literatures in English Department's curriculum.

Nettleford said he discovered the work of Louise Bennett during the 1950s when there was a growing awareness of African culture in Jamaica, which was still under British rule. In 1966, Jamaica Labrish, his collection of some of her poems, was released by Collins Publishing. Similar projects, including Auntie Roachy Seh, have been compiled by other noted academics like Mervyn Morris.

Song recorded

Last year, guitarist Maurice Gordon paid tribute to her by recording the song, We Miss You, Miss Lou. He also performed at the Celebrating Miss Lou show at the Redbones the Blues Café to mark what would have been her 88th birthday, alongside poets Yasus Afari and Joan Andrea Hutchinson.

Afari and fellow Rastafarian dub poet Mutabaruka have cited Miss Lou as a strong influence. Recently, during his Pomedy event at Redbones, he said: "We would be nowhere without her."

Bennett-Coverley was born in Kingston in 1919. Her association with Afro-Jamaican culture can be traced to the 1930s, but it heightened during the '40s and '50s when a passionate wave of anti-colonialism swept the Caribbean.

She had her own show on the BBC, appeared in many local pantomimes and hosted the groundbreaking 'Ring Ding' television programme on the JBC.

She and her husband, actor Eric Coverley, emigrated to Canada in the early 1980s. He died there in 2002.

Miss Lou is buried at National Heroes Park in Kingston.

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