Trailer for New Miss Lou Documentary Film Shown in Toronto

By Neil Armstrong

Almost one week after attending the unveiling of a statute in honour of Jamaica’s cultural icon, Louise Bennett-Coverley, affectionately known as ‘Miss Lou,’ by the Government of Jamaica in Gordon Town, St. Andrew her son, Fabian Coverley, held an event in Toronto to showcase his plans to honour her.

A preview of a documentary trailer and a demo of an augmented reality coffee table book were held in Miss Lou’s Room at the Harbourtfront Centre – a key cultural organization on the waterfront of Toronto – on September 13.

Ian Xun, director of “Miss Lou Say, Walk Good!” a documentary film being produced said the idea arose after he worked on a documentary for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 2012 entitled “Two Worlds, One Love” to mark Jamaica’s 50^th anniversary of Independence about the significant contributions of Jamaican Canadians to Canada.

From interviewing Pamela Appelt, co-executor of the estate of Louise Bennett-Coverley, for that documentary he became inspired to make one about Miss Lou.

“It’s time we really told Miss Lou’s story, how she and her cohorts ignited a cultural revolution. If you look at world culture today, Jamaican culture is at the centre of it,” said Xun mentioning Miss Lou’s husband, Eric Coverley, Ranny Williams and others who “gave license for us to love the language that we speak.”

He also mentioned that “Miss Lou Say, Walk Good!” will be a feature-length film but in the future it will become the first two episodes of a 9-part documentary series for television, exploring Jamaica’s cultural revolution – from Jamaica to the world.

Fabian Coverley spoke of the deed of gift that was signed by the Louise Bennett-Coverley Estate and the National Library of Jamaica, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport on September 5 in Jamaica.

The Coverley Collection, which includes everything belonging to Miss Lou and Eric Coverley from their home in Gordon Town, St. Andrew, is now housed at the National Library of Jamaica.

Olivia Grange, minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, who participated in the signing ceremony, noted that the collection is organized into ten main series.
This includes “correspondences, legal and financial documents, writings and performance, published and printed material, personal and professional documents, academic papers, artefacts, photographic and audio-visual material, Eric Coverley papers and books and periodicals.
Fabian Coverley, also executive producer of the documentary film, said the National Library of Jamaica will be working with the McMaster University Library to digitize the collection so that it is available to anyone researching Miss Lou.

The McMaster University Library has the Louise Bennett Coverley fonds acquired in April 2010 from Appelt and Coverley, co-executors of the estate of Miss Lou.

“The fonds reflects her life as both a writer, performer, and a promoter of the Jamaican language. It is arranged into the following series: correspondence; legal and financial documents; writing; published and printed materials; personal and professional documents, awards and realia; photographs and audio-visual materials; death, funeral and memorials; Eric Coverley,” notes the library about its scope and content.

Among those who performed at the event in Miss Lou’s Room were: singer, Rachel Ebanks, storytellers Tania Hernandez and Letna Allen-Rowe (Miss Letna); and The Heritage Singers belting out songs such as” No Woman No Cry,” “Redemption Song,” “When Wi Roas Di Yellow Yam,” “Many Rivers to Cross,” and “Train A Blow.”

Some members of the “Miss Lou Say, Walk Good!” production team will travel to Jamaica in November to film aspects for the documentary.

The team comprises of Nadine Miller, producer; Suzanne (Zan) Coy, producer; Clayton Coverley, producer; and Pearl Anderson, administration.

Their aim is to have the documentary film and augmented coffee table book ready by the 100^th anniversary of the birthday of Miss Lou on September 7, 2019.

Tania Hernandez performing a Miss Lou poem.

The Heritage Singers performing in Miss Lou's Room.

Letna Allen-Rowe (Miss Lou) performs in Miss Lou's Room at the Harbourfront Centre.

Storytellers session: from left to right, Tania Hernandez, Miss Letna and Jermaine Cowie.

Fabian Coverley speaking about plans for the film and coffee table book. Clayton Coverley looks on.

[This story was published in the North American Gleaner, Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2018.]

documents, awards and realia; photographs and audio-visual materials; death, funeral and memorials; Eric Coverley. A separate listing describing the books which accompanied this fonds has been prepared.documents, awards and realia; photographs and audio-visual materials; death, funeral and memorials; Eric Coverley. A separate listing describing the books which accompanied this fonds has been prepared.documents, awards and realia; photographs and audio-visual materials; death, funeral and memorials; Eric Coverley. A separate listing describing the books which accompanied this fonds has been prepared.documents, awards and realia; photographs and audio-visual materials; death, funeral and memorials; Eric Coverley. A separate listing describing the books which accompanied this fonds has been prepared.