Grange launches 100-day tribute to Louise Bennett-

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange has officially launched Miss Lou 100 – a commemoration of the centenary of ‘the mother of Jamaican culture’, the Honourable Louise Bennett-Coverley.

Speaking at a Service of Honour and Praise at Coke Memorial Methodist Church in downtown Kingston on Sunday, September 1, Grange said: “Miss Lou devoted her life to restore and redeem the language of the mass of the people. Amid great criticism from the well-to-do who ruled the society, Miss Lou almost single-handedly brought confidence and respect to our Jamaican language.”

Grange said that it was fitting to begin the celebrations at Coke Memorial Methodist Church, where Louise Bennett, at the age of 17, made her first public appearance, reciting a Jamaican-dialect poem she had written. The minister thanked the church for its role in nurturing and showcasing Miss Lou’s talent and urged all churches across the island to participate in the celebration of Miss Lou 100.

“Today, we begin our hundred days’ celebration of legacy. In this celebration, I am appealing to the Church and to our seniors to bring knowledge of Miss Lou and her achievements to our children and young people. It is a part of the heritage transfer expected of the people of God that we should find ways to ensure that generations to come and those still unborn are brought to knowledge of their ­culture and heritage by those of us who know the stories of our past. When we fail to do so, our society crumbles into disrepair because of ignorance. It is the responsibility of the older generations to transfer the knowledge of our past to later generations. In all this, the Church must play a role,” Grange said.

Miss Lou 100 is being celebrated over the course of 100 days, ­starting September 1, 2019. The celebrations will include the official renaming of Gordon Town Square to Miss Lou Square by Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Sunday, September 8.