The Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley: SEPTEMBER 17, 1919 - July 27, 2006
Governor-General Professor Kenneth Hall:
She mastered her own appreciation for the language, people and all things Jamaican.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller:
She was regarded as a close family member, part of our national landscape and a true representative of Jamaican hospitality, graciousness and charm.
Senator Dwight Nelson, Opposition spokesman on Information:
Jamaicans can console themselves by recognising the mammoth contribution she made in this area (cultural heritage).
Former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson:
In the generosity off her sharing and in her own deep love for the people, particularly her fellow Jamaicans, she became a symbol of national pride and
national unity.
Former Prime Minister
Edward Seaga:
There was no possibility of fully imitating her. She was one of Jamaica's greatest brand names ranking with every other star, product or person, in the Jamaican firmament.
Joan Andrea Hutchinson:
To the average Jamaican she meant the recognition of things which are Jamaican, our language, our culture, our food. She put us on the map.
Barbara Gloudon, broadcast journalist and playwright:
Miss Lou was not a comet blazing across the sky and
burning out, she was a steady star in the firmament all the time.
Ann Marie Bonner, Jamaica's Consul General to Toronto:
The Jamaican community is in shock and is saddened at her passing.
Fae Ellington, broadcast
journalist and actress:
Coming up in our Independence celebrations, I think this is an opportunity to go out and celebrate what makes us distinctly Jamaican and one of these things is our language.
Aloun Assamba, Minister of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture:
As with all revolutionaries and living legends, in spite of her gentle spirit, Miss Lou managed to rattle elements of the aristocracy, aghast that she had the temerity to promote self-confidence among the common folk, and was relentless in her advocacy for the right to independent thought, regardless of social status.
