Jamaica’s Ambassador at Large, the Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley, O.M., O.J., M.B.E., D. Litt. (“Miss Lou”)
Honourable Louise Bennett-Coverley
Ambassador the Honourable Louise Bennett-Coverley, was the only child of Augustus C. Bennett and his wife Kerene, was born in Kingston where she attended Ebenezer and Calabar Primary schools back when they were still called Elementary schools. Her high school education was successfully pursued at St. Simon and Excelsior High Schools. From an early age “Miss Lou” wanted to write and during her early teens composed her first dialect poem “On a Tram Car”. In 1938 she came to the notice of Eric “Chalk Talk” Coverley who launched her stage career (later became her husband).
Her poems were heard over ZQI in 1943 and that year the Sunday Gleaner began publishing them. Louise’s reputation grew rapidly and, in 1945, she gained a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England. Within three months after arriving in Britain she was performing on many stages there and had her own program on the BBC.
In 1947, she returned home and for a short time taught at her Alma Mater, Excelsior High School. She went back to England in 1950 and again she worked with the BBC. From there Louise migrated to New York in 1953 where on May 30, 1954 she married Eric and they returned to Jamaica in 1955. They have raised a son, and sixteen adopted children and enjoyed the pleasure of several grandchildren and godchildren.
Ambassador Bennett-Coverley spent a lifetime researching Jamaican folk lore, history and the Jamaican language some call dialect. As a teacher she taught Jamaican folk lore and oral history to youths and adults through the Jamaican Welfare Commission first as a Drama Officer then a Director. As well, she was a lecturer in drama and folk lore for the Extra-Mural Department of the University of the West Indies.
Miss Lou played leading roles in many Jamaican pantomimes and made numerous appearances in films, on television, radio and stage throughout Jamaica and worldwide from Africa to Europe and the Americas. On stage Miss Lou had Royal Command performances for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen’s Mother and Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret (diseased).
Her charm, grace and prolific knowledge of our culture endeared her to everyone, from children watching the television program RING DING (which she hosted for over twelve years) to the serious academic studying the roots of Jamaican culture. On several record albums, in song and verse, Miss Lou is equally captivating. In spite of her illustrious performing credentials Miss Lou saw her self as a writer. Many Books of her poems have been published and she always wrote in the Jamaican language.
Honours bestowed on Miss Lou (in recognition of her contribution to music, folk lore the Jamaican language, pantomime and the theatre) range from the M.B.E. in 1960 to Silver and Gold Musgrave Medals from the Institute of Jamaica, Norman Manley Award for Excellence in the Arts and the Order of Jamaica in the Seventies, Honarary Doctor of Letters from the University of the West Indies in 9183 then in 1989 appointed as Cultural Ambassador and Special Envoy of the Jamaican Government. Order of merit in 2001. Last but not least, the People’s Choice, always “ Jamaica’s Lady of Mirth”.
