Louise Bennett
| Louise Simone Bennett-Coverley | |
|---|---|
| Born |
7 September 1919 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Died | 26 July 2006 (aged 86) Scarborough, Toronto, Canada |
| Resting place | National Heroes Park |
| Occupation | Poet, folklorist |
| Language | English, Jamaican Patois |
| Website | |
| www |
|
Louise Simone Bennett-Coverley or Miss Lou, OM, OJ, MBE (7 September 1919 – 26 July 2006), was a Jamaican poet, folklorist, writer, and educator. Writing and performing her poems in Jamaican Patois or Creole, she worked to preserve the practice of presenting poetry, folk songs and stories in patois ("nation language").
Louise Bennett was born on September 7, 1919 on North Street in Kingston, Jamaica. She was the only child of Augustus Cornelius Bennett, the owner of a bakery in Spanish Town, and Kerene Robinson, a dressmaker. After the death of her father in 1926, Bennett was raised primarily by her mother. She attended elementary school at Ebenezer and Calabar, continuing to St. Simon's College and Excelsior College, in Kingston. In 1943 she enrolled at Friends College in Highgate, St Mary where she studied Jamaican folklore. That same year her poetry was first published in the Sunday Gleaner. In 1945 Bennett became the first black student to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art after being awarded a scholarship from the British Council.
After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bennett worked with repertory companies in Coventry, Huddersfield and Amersham, as well as in intimate revues across England. During her time in the country she hosted two radio programs for the BBC – Caribbean Carnival (1945–1946) and West Indian Night (1950).
Bennett worked for the Jamaica Social Welfare Commission from 1955 to 1959 and taught folklore and drama at the University of the West Indies. From 1965 to 1982 she produced Miss Lou's Views, a series of radio monologues, and in 1970 started hosting the children's television program Ring Ding. Airing until 1982, the show was based on Bennett's belief that ""de pickney-dem learn de sinting dat belong to dem" (children learn about their heritage)". As part of the program children from across the country were invited to share their artistic talents on-air. In addition to her television appearances, Bennett appeared in various motion pictures including Calypso (1958) and Club Paradise (1986).
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