Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter
Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) lift the national flag from the
casket of Louise Bennett-Coverley at the National Heroes Park yesterday. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
Fifteen minutes of rain transformed National Heroes Park into a muddy milieu
yesterday, but even that couldn't keep out the hundreds of Jamaicans who went there to say farewell to Miss Lou.
They jumped over fences, waded through water and even crawled on all fours to get into the park, but no task was too great to keep them from paying their last respects.
The funeral procession of dignitaries streamed through the main entrance of the the water-logged park only a few minutes after the rain had stopped. But the residents who had gathered on the streets to witness Miss Lou's final drive through Kingston, weren't so lucky.
'We haffi go scale di fence'
"We haffi go scale di fence. We can't mek Miss Lou bury and we nuh say goodbye," a weighty woman shouted. And that they did.
Eventually, with the dignitaries gathered by the graveside and the average residents neatly blocked away by a large wire fence, the proceedings got under way.
The service at the graveside was short but touching, as friends, family members and well-wishers placed wreaths on the grave. A man standing on top of a nearby building held up a small Jamaican flag throughout the entire service. Miss Lou was buried beside her husband who was laid to rest there on Sunday.
Police in official uniform were all over the park and this helped create a regal atmosphere. An atmosphere fit for a queen. A cultural queen.
