September 7, 2019 will mark the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Louise Bennett arguably the most revered of Jamaica’s cultural icons and there are big, big, plans to celebrate the occasion by memorializing Miss Lou in film, in publication and the launch of a special line of apparel.
Fabian Coverley, son and co-executor of the estate of Louise Bennett-Coverley, and his son, Clayton Coverley, one of Miss Lou’s three grandsons, are part of a team working to share the legacy of Miss Lou in multiple creative forms, influenced by Miss Lou’s famous greeting “Walk Good”
FILM
“Miss Lou Say So (Walk Good)” , a 90-minute theatrical feature documentary , aims to remind the world of “the power of Jamaican culture that was embodied in the singularly important icon that is Miss Lou.” It reanimates Miss Lou’s classic stories, poems and songs using three different narrative modes: performance, interviews, and animation. Renowned Jamaican artistes such as Oliver Samuels and Mutabaruka will narrate animated retellings of Miss Lou’s Anansy stories.
In addition, there are plans for famous Jamaicans, like Freddie McGregor, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Lennox Lewis and international stars like Russell Peters, Adele, Sting, Drake and others to “render snippets of Miss Lou’s folk songs as a tribute to the influence that Jamaican culture has had on their lives.” The performances and stories will be intercut with interviews of people who knew her, and those who have studied her work. Archival footage of Miss Lou will be interwoven in the narrative of the film.
BOOK
An “Eric and Louise Bennett Coverley” coffee table book will be produced as a companion to the film. It will feature beautiful rare images of Louise Bennett (Miss Lou) and Eric Coverley, (Mass Eric) in their public and family lives. An innovative feature – a first for Jamaica – will be to utilize Augmented Reality to bring the characters and story to life in full motion on mobile devices. The Augmented Reality feature of the book will enable readers to use a tablet or phone to hover over images of the book and view videos of performances by Miss Lou and other artistes.
Apparel Line
The apparel line will seek to capture the Jamaican lifestyle mixing the island’s rare style with its unique and vibrant heritage . Clayton Coverley promises that the ‘Walk Good’ apparel will not disappoint.
STATUE
Memorializing activities will actually begin a year earlier with the unveiling and dedication of a statue of Miss Lou in Gordon Town square on September 7 this year on the 99th anniversary of her birth. Commissioned by Jamaica’s Ministry of Culture Gender, Entertainment and Sport and sculpted by Jamaica’s foremost artist of the genre, Basil Watson , the statue will form the centerpiece of Miss Lou Square in Gordon, Town St. Andrew the location of Louise Bennett and her husband Eric Coverley’s home for several years before they emigrated to Canada.
The Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) is organizing a trip for its members to Jamaica in September 2019 as part of the celebrations and to attend the opening and dedication of the Miss Lou Square itself. The special recognition is a legacy project of ‘Jamaica 50’ celebrations in Toronto and spearheaded by Pamela Appelt, a former Canadian citizenship court judge and co-executor of the estate of Louise Bennett-Coverley.
For more information about the film and the limited edition coffee table book, visit www.missloujamaica.com, and www.walk-good.com for the Walk Good Apparel.
