Prime Minister Andrew Holness (first-right), Culture Minister Olivia Grange (second-right), M.P. Juliet Holness (third-left), and others pose beside the statue of Louise Bennett. (JIS photo)
A statue of Jamaican cultural icon Louise Bennett Coverley, Miss Lou, has been unveiled in Gordon Town, St. Andrew.
The statue sits in the vicinity of the police station and the courthouse, in the community where she lived before moving to Toronto, Canada.
Done by sculptor Basil Watson, the statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Andrew Holness on September 7, 2018 — the 99th anniversary of the birth of Miss Lou.
Prior to the unveiling, Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, had announced that the installation of the statue was part of the Government’s plan to establish Miss Lou Square in Gordon Town "as a fitting and lasting tribute to this outstanding woman, the mother of Jamaican culture."
Minister Grange noted that Miss Lou was well-respected, well-loved, well-revered across the world, and added that the unveiling of her statue would position Gordon Town as an attraction in Kingston which promotes community tourism.
The full development and transformation of Gordon Town Square into Miss Lou Square is expected to be completed in time for Miss Lou’s 100th birthday.
Louise Bennett was born on September 7, 1919. She was a Jamaican poet and activist who is celebrated as an important contributor of “valid social documents reflecting the way Jamaicans think and feel and live.”
Her poems in Jamaican patois are credited for raising the dialect of the Jamaican folk to an art level which is acceptable and appreciated.
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