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Text:	CORRECTED REPEAT/ARTS: Jamaica Bids Farewell to a Cultural Icon Peter Richards KINGSTON, Aug 8 (IPS) - Like the legendary reggae singer Bob Marley, "Miss Lou", as she was affectionately known, will go down in the history of the Caribbean for having brought Jamaican culture to the rest of the world. "She believed passionately in her country and in her work as an artist," said Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller of Louise Bennett-Coverly, 86, who died at the Scarborough Grace Hospital in Toronto, Canada late last month. Miss Lou will be given an official funeral in Jamaica on Wednesday and will be buried at the National Heroes Park, the final resting place for other prominent Jamaicans, including former prime minister Michael Manley and the singer Dennis Brown. Regarded as Jamaica's premier folklorist, poet, entertainer and comedienne, she used the Jamaican "patois" in her work to raise the dialect to levels of acceptance and appreciation not only in Jamaica, but internationally. Her pioneering role in establishing Jamaica's cultural identity has been credited for global acceptance of the country's dialect and so paved the way for artists like Bob Marley and Sean Paul to promote Jamaican culture through reggae and other forms, including the theatre. "Miss Lou was more than an innovator who gave status to the Jamaican language and who established a genre of poetry which reflected the indigenous genius of our people," said former prime minister P.J. Patterson. "In so doing she uplifted the disdained Jamaican 'patois' from the backyard to the stage at home and abroad," added another former government leader, Edward Seaga, who is now a distinguished Fellow at the School for Graduate Studies and Research at the University of the West Indies (UWI). Critics and admirers alike agree that through her work, Miss Lou was able to capture all the spontaneity of the expression of joys and sorrows of the Jamaican people, their poignant reflections, their religion and the philosophy of their lives. "If you ever caught even a snippet of the legendary Louise Bennett in performance, the imagery remains a reference by which all Caribbean people who opt for colloquial versions of our oral traditions may be judged, for it is she who perfected and consequently epitomised the art form," wrote Terry Joseph, the arts and entertainment editor for the Trinidad Express newspapers. "Although her twang never let 'listeners' forget her Jamaican roots, Louise Bennett .was embraced as a Caribbean cultural icon long before she collapsed at her Toronto Canada home and died shortly thereafter," he wrote. He said that although her works reflected stock West Indian satire, "Miss Lou wraps the comment in her singular style of laughing at self, an approach adopted by many (if not all) Caribbean comic storytellers". Born in Kingston on Sep. 7, 1919, Miss Lou took to writing poems in the Jamaican dialect from an early age, penning her first piece when she was only 14 years old. She went on to produce several books of poetry, including "Jamaica Labrish" in 1966 and "Anancy and Miss Lou" in 1979. But it was her famous radio shows, which included "Laugh with Louise" and the most popular, "The Lou and Ranny Show", that propelled her celebrity status in her native island. She also lectured extensively in the United States and Britain on Jamaican folklore and music. Her contribution to Jamaican cultural life has been such that she was honoured with several awards, including the Norman Manley Award for Excellence in the Field of Arts, the Order of Jamaica in 1974, the Institute of Jamaica's Musgrave Silver and Gold Medals for distinguished eminence in the field of Arts and Culture, and in 1983, an honorary degree of doctor of letters from the UWI. In 1988, her composition "You're going home now" won a nomination from the Academy of Canadian Cinema a Television for the best original song in the movie "Milk and Honey". She also received an honorary degree of doctors of letters from York University in Canada. The Jamaican government in 2001 also appointed her cultural ambassador at large and as a member of the Order of Merit for her distinguished contribution to the development of the arts and culture. "She is greatly respected in the academic circles both here and abroad, so don't worry, her work will live on," said former UWI pro-vice Chancellor Professor Rex Nettleford. In a message of condolence, the Jamaica Teachers Association described Miss Lou as the "Jamaican icon who legitimised the vernacular as an acceptable artistic mode of expression." "Her role in the development of Jamaican pantomime, her numerous writings in all forms and her infectious personality always served to represent the most authentic part of Jamaicans," the group said. Musician Marjoire Whylie, who shared the stage with Miss Lou in the production "Ring Ding", said she was glad that the Jamaican government had honoured the work of the cultural icon in 2003 when she last visited the island. "So she could see in how much esteem and love she was held by people at all levels of society," she said, adding that a foundation should be established to encourage the collection, analysis and publication of elements of Jamaican culture. Louise Bennett Coverly, the woman who more than anyone else popularised the Jamaican good-bye wish "Walk good", was predeceased by her late husband Eric Coverly, and is survived by her son Fabian. Corrects third paragraph regarding the date of Miss Lou's funeral and burial. (FIN/2006)

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