Western Education % the Interplay of Words

Don't Wipe Out Our Ancestors' Non institutionalized Writing System of Creole From Our Culture.
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Writing Systems: Today's "Unconventional Use" of Our Ancestors Invented Language.

~ There is treasure in our Ancestors' old way of writing the Haitian Creole. Why don't we preserve it?

Poems Written in Institutionalized & Non- standardized Creole
Slavery: Western Education and the Interplay of Words

Poems Written in Institutionalized & Non- standardized Creole


Institutionalized Creole:


Ti Moun Tankou Sofi by fania simon


Chak jou mwen leve

Mwen wè map fredone

Yon ti chante pou tout ti moun

Nan peyim, gran moun ap maltrete



Gen yon lè mwen tap mache

Nan yon ti kwen, mwen vin ap tande

Yon vwa timoun ki tap kriye

Mwen kouri ale poum ede’l



Nanfè nwa -a, mwen tap chèche’l

E lèm jwen’n li, mwen te mande’l

Ti cheri kisa ki rive’w

Li dim : se papa l ki viole’l



O’ mwen paka rete bouch pe

Kòman ou vle’m chita gade san chante?

Fòk mwen fredone tristès trip mwen

Poum exprime’m tou sa ki nan kè mwen



Ey, lè mwen gade ti moun saa

Mwen konnen li te ka sè mwen

Lè mwen gade ti pitit saa

Mwen konnen li te ka ti frè mwen



Gadon timoun tankou Sofi !

Gadon ti moun tankou Mari !

Gadon ti moun tankou Eddi !

Pouki yon granmoun ap pase sou li ?



O’ mwen paka rete,

Ap mache fé moun pou ti moun yo

Fòk mwen lite, fòk mwen fredone

Pou nou chanje mechanste sa yo.



Gadon ti moun tankou Geraldine

Gadon timoun tankou Carline

Gadon ti moun tankou Joselyn

Pouki pou ou pase sou li ?



Ede’m poteje ti moun yo

Se verite vi yo pou nou change

An nou reflechi sou yo

Silans nan ké paka change vi ti moun yo



O’ mwen paka rete bouch pe

Mwen paka chita map gade

Fòk mwen rakonte tout vye iswa reyél sa yo

Kap detwi nanm ti moun yo



Nan fè nwa, nou kreye plis tenèb

Nan la pli, nou kreye plis la bou

Annou netwaye la kou nou

Pou ti moun yo ka grandi yon jou.



Gadon timoun tankou Rita

Gadonti moun tankou Anita

Gadon timoun takou François

Ede yo grandi pou yo ka rive yon jou.



© 2008 fania simon



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And Now Non- standardized.



Ti Moun Tankou Sofi by fania simon



Chak jou mwen levé

Mwen wè map frédoné

Yon ti chanté pou tout ti moun

Nan péyim, gran moun ap maltrété



Gin yon lè mwen tap maché

Nan yon ti kwen, mwen vin ap tandé

Yon voi timoun ki tap kriyé

Mwen kouri alé poum édél



Nan fè noi a, mwen tap chèchél

E lèm jwen n li, mwen té mandél

Ti chéri kisa ki rivé w

Li dim se Papal ki violél



O’ mwen paka rété bouch pé

Koman ou vlé mwen chita gadé san chanté?

Fok mwen frédoné tristès trip mwen

Poum exprimé m tout sa ki nan kè mwen



Lè mwen gadé ti moun sa

Mwen konnin li té ka ti sèm

Lè mwen gadé ti pitit sa

Mwen konnin li té ka ti frè m



Gadon timoun tankou Sofi

Gadon ti moun tankou Mari

Gadon ti moun tankou Eddi

Pouki pouyo pasé sou li ?



O’ mwenpaka rété

Maché fé moun pou ti moun yo

Fok mwen lité—

Pou nou changé méchansté sa yo



Gadon ti moun tankou Geraldine

Gadon timoun tankou Carline

Gadon ti moun tankou Liline

Pouki pou ou pasé sou li ?



Edé m potéjé ti moune yo

Sé vérité vi yo pou nou changé

An nou réfléchi de yo

Silens nan ké paka changé vi ti moun yo



O’ mwen paka rété bouch pé

Mwen paka chita map gadé

Fok mwen rakonté tout vyé istoi réyél

Kap détwi nanm ti moun yo



Nan fè noi, nou créyé plis ténèb

Nan la pli, nou créyé plis la bou

Annou nétoyé la kou nou

Pou ti moun yo ka grandi yon jou



Gadon timoun tankou Rita

Gadon ti moun tankou Anita

Gadon timoun takou François

Edé yo grandi pou yo rive yon kou



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© 2008 fania simon



There is beauty in both writing forms. It does not have to be an either/or decision. We can value and validate both ways.



- Question: Don't you think the invention of our Ancestors' writing form of the Haitian Creole is an heirloom worthy of preservation?



- Is it not "prestigious" enough to keep alive today in our diasporic, westernized mind?



- Who will be bold enough to fight and keep it alive and pass it down to the next generation?



Slavery: Western Education and the Interplay of Words



By definition, the Haitian language “Creole” means “broken French” and Creolization means: Any African or Les Engagees, European child born on a colony (or outside of his or her Motherland) ***Also, SEE The Black Jacobins, by C.L.R. James. Or/and, They Came Before Columbus by Eric Williams for more facts on Afro-Haitian History.

The origin of Creole started after the first invaders kidnapped and brought the African people to the “new world.” There, they mentally struggled to comprehend the speech of the plantation. Naturally in time, they began to consume the foreign sounds. They interchanged the unknown language(s) that was/were spoken on the colony and used their own native intelligence to orally quilt a way to communicate with other enslaved Africans from many different tribes, Creoles, Africans born on the colony, and slave masters. From the ancestors’ skill of quilting words, and signs, a new way of communication was formed.

The African ancestors gave birth to a non-standardized Creole. They wisely and verbally decapitated the French language by redesigning it and placing it into their own vessels (brain, body and spirit) for the purpose of conversation needs and contact. Back then while they were in physical and/or mental captivity, there were no separate or special western alphabets or software to use in order to standardize Creole and make it “proper”. My African Ancestors just wrote it just as they heard the French words drummed into their ears. They also incorporated some African words in the Creole language which are still alive today as part of the Creole language. For example, a word such as Kob is originated in Nigeria and it means money. However, today, there is a Creole alphabet in place for writing, and for conforming our ancestor’s Creole into a “proper” or an institutionalized state, which means that in the eyes of those who only adopted the new orthographies; such spelling of KOB (without the accent on top of the o,) is seen as a “fault,” or as “improper”. Thus, with this new institutionalized level of spelling and writing in Creole, a new class of ism (favoritism or prejudice) is born, just like the favoritism of French over Creole.

Here’s another example: some Creole speaking children/adults are academically misjudged and are not taken seriously simply because they don’t wish to use or they don’t know how to use institutionalized Creole in their writings. Therefore, they do not shine because they only write, non-standardized Haitian Creole. In fact, there are numerous debates about the diasporic/Creole literature, its spelling system, identity and history etc. And yes, it is clear that social acceptance is important in any society; however, why is it NOT also important for Creole children or adults to proudly maintain their ancestors’ non institutionalized, non-standardized way of writing the Haitian Creole? Why must we blindly and only accept the standardized version of writing the Haitian Creole and trash or convert the old way of writing it? What’s wrong with writing Creole by sounds? Why is the old way of writing the Haitian Creole seen as “inferior?” Is it fair to say that that attitude/mind-set that the older way must be converted is exactly the same as those who believe that speaking and writing Creole is inferior compared to speaking and writing FRENCH?

As a writer who was born and partly schooled in Haiti, I write Creole by routine (by that I mean I write Creole the old way--by sounds) and I am proud of it. I am one Creole child who deeply appreciates the foundation of my ancestors’ history and language of survival (past and present) in the Caribbean and particularly in Haiti. I welcome and I value wholeheartedly the origin of Creole by sounds because rejecting or dismissing the foundation of the Creole language, equates to rejecting and dismissing truth in our African/Caribbean history and culture. Furthermore, there is tremendous treasure in keeping and promoting the origin of our Creole through literature for the African ancestors made that major accomplishment for us and we must not debase it or wiped it out of our books because of greed or politics or to quench the thirst for mainstream's approval. Why don’t we also promote writing Creole by sounds?

Personally, I aim to write Creole in the new and old, non-standardized way. I aim to advocate that it is always “up to standard” to write the Haitian Creole by sounds. It is not a linguistic crime. It is the source of our Creole and it is our duty to keep it alive. I know I am being “politically incorrect,” but I prefer to stay “Historically correct.” I want to be on the side where the struggle of my people lies. Thus, I want to help keep the tradition, the identity of Haitian Creole by sounds alive. I would like to reach a point in time where every Haitian would be free to write the Haitian Creole of yester-years without fear of being lynch.

© fania simon