Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett-Coverley is celebrated in Wednesday’s Google Doodle.
(Picture: Google Doodle)Cultural icon Louise Bennett-Coverley was the subject of Wednesday’s Google Doodle – on her 103rd birthday.
The poet and educator worked to preserve her native language, Patois or Creole, through poetry, folk songs and literature.
Now resting in her place of birth, Kingston, Jamaica, the first black student of London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) still inspires minds across the world.
So what legacy did the writer, also known as Miss Lou, leave behind?
Who is Louise Bennett-Coverley?
Louise Simone Bennett-Coverley was born on September 7, 1919, and died on July 26, 2006, in Canada.
Born to her baker and dressmaker parents in Kingston, Bennett was primarily raised by her mother after her father’s death in 1926.
One of her first published works was at age 24 in the Sunday Gleaner, while she studied Jamaican folklore at St Mary.
In 1945, Bennett enrolled at RADA on a scholarship from the British Council, making her the first black student to attend.
The writer spent some time in England as a post-graduate, hosting two BBC radio shows for more than five years until moving back to Jamaica.
Bennett married Eric Winston Coverley, a theatre performer, in 1954, and together they had a son named Fabian Coverly.
Fabian shared his thoughts on his mother’s legacy in honour of the Google Doodle, and said: “My mother was kind and loving. She was not tribal. But she always sided with the ordinary people. She believed in them unconditionally. And she valued the language they spoke.
“Because of Miss Lou, our language is respected and celebrated on the international scene, particularly in music and sports. The world has adopted many of the sayings she promoted such as, ‘Wa a gwaan?’ (What’s happening?). Her favourite was, ‘Walk good an good duppy walk with you’ (Take care as you go and may good spirits keep you company).”
He added: “My mother was a trailblazer and pathfinder. Her legacy is long-lasting. I am blessed to have had such a mother and to have shared her with the world.”
At 86 years old, four years after her husband’s death, Bennett died in Canada, where a memorial service was held in her name. Shortly after, her body was flown to Jamaica, where she is buried in the country’s National Heroes Park.
What are Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett-Coverley’s most famous works?
Miss Lou’s first book of poetry, Dialect Verses, earned her scholarship to RADA.
Her work was largely written in Jamaican Patois, which contributed to its establishment as a “national language” in its own right, instead of a dialect of English.
She was also cited as an inspiration to many famous writers. This includes Mutabaruka, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Amina Blackwood-Meeks, and Yasus Afari – as well as her student Harry Belafonte, who went on to write the 1956 hit Day-O (The Banana Boat Song).
As per her studies, Bennett released many traditional folk songs and monologues on her radio and TV shows, including Listen to Louise and Carifesta Ring Ding.
Partially foretelling the UK’s Windrush scandal, one of Miss Lou’s poems Noh Lickle Twang tells the story of a Jamaican repatriate who returned from the USA with no trace (or “twang”) of having lived there.
The literary personality earned much recognition, including an MBE, an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies and a space dedicated to her achievements in Ontario called Miss Lou’s Room.
