Plans underway for second annual Miss Lou Festival
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Plans are in high gear for the staging of the second annual festival in honour of the late Dr Louise Bennett-Coverley, who is affectionately known as ‘Miss Lou.’
The festival is being scheduled for December 9 at a venue to be announced.
Details were shared by members of the Louise Bennett Coverley Festival Committee at a special event held last Thursday at the Excelsior Community College (ECC) in Kingston, to commemorate the 104th anniversary of the cultural icon’s birth.
The committee hosted the inaugural festival on October 15, 2022, at the Louise Bennett Coverley Square in Gordon Town.
It featured the works of Miss Lou, depicted in poetry readings, songs, dances, storytelling, and dramatic performances.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, in a message read by Principal Director for Culture in the Ministry, JoAnne Archibald, said the festival will serve as a fitting tribute to the work of Miss Lou.
Minister Grange commended Chief Executive Officer of the festival committee, Professor Opal Palmer Adisa and Acting Head of the ECC School of the Performing Arts, Kenny Salmon, for engaging the Ministry in the planning stages for the event.
“We commend your work, a manifestation of Miss Lou’s enduring legacy, rooted in her sustained belief in and commitment to the integrity and dignity of every Jamaican,” she said.
The Minister noted that Miss Lou “gave voice to the voiceless, was the face of the faceless and the name of the nameless.”
“For, just as Sam Sharpe and his warriors were determined ‘to rather die on their feet than live on their knees’ – it was the resolve of our Miss Lou to promote our language of resistance and liberation,” Grange added.
In her remarks, Professor Adisa said the festival is not only about celebrating Miss Lou but also to raise funds to support the Louise Bennett Coverley All-Age School in St Andrew.
She informed that the proceeds from last year’s event were used to provide tablets and a small bursary for drama students at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston.
“So, we will continue to do that in honour of Miss Lou. It is not just about celebrating Miss Lou; it is about continuing her legacy,” Professor Adisa noted.
– JIS