12 / 12
at them (and perhaps try to correct them?).
Those who think of “Miss Lou” as an
entertainer only are probably unaware
that “Jamaica Labrish” was not the first
publication of her work (it is the only one
listed in “Who’s Who in Jamaica”). At least
three others, now quite unobtainable, had
appeared—”Jamaican Humour in Dialect”
(Jamaica Press Association, 1943), “Anancy
Stories and Dialect Verse” by Louise Bennett,
Dorothy Clarke, Una Wilson, etc. (Pioneer
Press 1950) and “Laugh with Louise” (City
Printery 1961).
It is no longer true as it was in 1966 (and
perhaps it was fading even then) that, as
Rex Nettleford wrote in his Introduction to
“Jamaica Labrish,” Louise Bennett “ is yet an
unheralded guest among some of the literary
establishments.”Her place there in history
among other distinguished writers, is now
quite secure. She is fully acceptable as a poet
in her own right without the need of her stage
personality to lift her poems from verse to
poetry.
But this should not be taken as a dismissal
of the stage personality. Anyone who has
seen her on the stage or on the TV screen is
fully aware of the additional enjoyment given
to the reading of her poetry. The gay spon-
taneity and the particular emphasis given to
the various phrases add considerably to them.
But then it is also true that all poetry benefits
from being read aloud and that of Miss Ben-
nett even more than many. As an aside the
reference to ‘spontaneity’ should not be taken
to mean that Miss Bennett’s performances
are artless. As her diploma from the Royal
Academy of Dramatic Art can testify she is a
trained artiste and neither her performances
nor her poetry ‘just happen.’
Quotations
A few quotations from the poetry of
Louise Bennett should serve to demonstrate
her ability to comment vividly on topics of
varying importance. One of her best-known
poems refers to the post-war migration of
Jamaicans to Britain which she describes
as “Jamaican people colonizin, Englan in
reverse” in the course of which she produced
this verse, “An week by week dem shipping
off’ Dem countryman like fire, Fe immigrate
and populate De seat of “de Empire.”
Her “Back to Africa” - Written in 1947
when the ‘return’ to Ethiopia movement
first became vocal emphasised that Jamaica
was the real home of Jamaicans not Af-
rica because we had other roots and other
ancestors—”Back to Africa Miss Matty?;
Yuh noh know wha yuh dah-sey?”— “Me
know sey day yuh great great great- Gramma
was African, But Matty, doan yuh great great
great - Grampa was Englishman?”.
The shrewd comments on the anxiety
of the various countries to be the site of the
capital of the
West Indies Federation were more than
humorous—”Dat time wen it did look like
sey De new West Indian nation Did want
capital site more dan Dem wanted Federa-
tion!”
But there was a lighter side to her com-
ments as in her poem,
“Pedestrian Crosses” with its tongue-
twisting ending, “De crossing stop we from
pass mek dem cross, But nutten dah-stop dem
from cross mek we pass, Dem yah crossin is
crosses fe true.”
As Nettleford put it, Louise Bennett
raised the sing-song patter of the hills and of
the towns to an art level acceptable to and
appreciated by people from all classes in her
country.”
Miss Bennett has been married to Mr.
Eric Coverley since 1954 and lives in Gordon
Town, and ideal place from which to observe
both the country and the city as her poems
have done.