Mayor of Toronto Pays Tribute to Miss Lou

Mayor of Toronto, His Worship David Miller, has paid tribute to the late Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley (Miss Lou), Jamaica’s Ambassador of Culture, describing her as a “Jamaican folk performer who was instrumental in giving voice to the intellectual and cultural identities of the Jamaican peasantry for over 40 years”.
In a message of condolence, Mayor Miller said the members of Toronto City Council were saddened to learn of the passing of Miss Lou.
“Miss Lou has been recognized as the foremost West Indian female to employ Jamaican Creole as a fundamental tool for bringing respect and literary acknowledgement to Jamaica’s national language,” he said.
The full text of the Message of Condolence issued by David Miller, Mayor of the City of Toronto, reads:
WHEREAS: the Mayor and Members of Toronto City Council are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Louise Bennett-Coverley; and
WHEREAS: Miss Lou, as she was affectionately known, was a Jamaican folk poet and performer who was instrumental in giving voice to the intellectual and cultural identities of the Jamaican peasantry for over 40 years; and
WHEREAS: Miss Lou is regarded as a cultural icon; and
WHEREAS: Miss Lou has been recognized as the foremost West Indian female to employ the Jamaican Creole as a fundamental tool for bringing respect and literary acknowledgement to Jamaica’s national language; and
WHEREAS: for her contributions to the preservation and development of Jamaican culture, she received numerous awards, including the Order of Jamaica in 1974, and today she is known as the Honourable Louise Bennett; and
WHEREAS: in September 1988, her musical composition ‘You’re Going Home Now’ from the film Milk and Honey, was nominated by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for the best original song in a movie; and
WHEREAS: in 1998, she received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from York University; and
WHEREAS: on Jamaica’s Independence Day in 2001, she was appointed as a Member of the Order of Merit for her invaluable and distinguished contribution to the development of arts and culture; and
WHEREAS: Miss Lou’s contributions shall be forever carved into Toronto’s diverse and vibrant cultural landscape.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City Clerk be directed to convey, on behalf of the Mayor and Members of Toronto City Council, our sincere sympathy to the family of Dr. Louise Simone Bennett-Coverley.