The Procrastinator’s Library By Kerwin Eloise
The SLP has often used the Kweyol language, culture, heritage, and experience as a tool to bludgeon the Micoud South MP and Leader of the Opposition into submission. And to illustrate what they say is his unlucianess and a perfect encapsulation of him being a product of Canada. It is no help to his rebuttals that expats and other ‘Cawkasian’ passing or looking persons who have adopted the island speak kweyol with a fluency and skill that surpasses many.
Nor was it helped by Dominic Fedee’s “Kenny Koudi” which still has me in stitches anytime I recall it.
However, the SLP must take the blame for the continued bastardization of the kweyol, yes, even though we now pilot it or that we get Governor General speeches in the language- more a hat tip to Dame Pearlette than anyone else.
It continues to be this quaint dialect, when it is actually a full-blown language, that we use to make our jokes, picong/ satire, and sarcastic remarks more potent and poignant rather than being brought on equal standing.
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Thus, it is necessary for the parliamentarians who represent us and are aware of the plight of Creole speakers and of how much our ancestors have endured to keep the language alive, to ensure that Creole remains alive.
The reality is that many of our youth are struggling not only to speak Kweyol but also to read and write it. Fluency and literacy in Creole, which the government is admirably trying to improve, are low and need the full weight of the government.
There needs to be a national declaration of intent to designate Kweyol as a national language, along with the creation of a policy framework to support such a designation. This would need to unfold through the use of committees to engage linguists and long-time speakers in creating a formal, established spelling and writing for the language. These committees would promote the use of Kweyol in everyday life and foster media and culture (be it formal short stories, documentaries, local plays, parodies, etc.).
Furthermore, its parity of use in schools, the media, legislative draft rooms, and courtrooms establishes that it is equally essential to learn Kweyol as it is to learn English.
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The move to adjust the law to define Kweyol and English as the official languages, and, of course, determine whether we say keyol or kweyol, is not without its own barriers, given the need to train and employ Kweyol speakers in all front-facing government departments and entities, from the immigration departments at the airport and seaports, to police and fire stations to the waterfront offices. Additionally, all buildings and government signage, documents, street and traffic signs, informercials and commercials would need to be done in both Kweyol and English, another massive undertaking.
The development of Kweyol as a medium of co-instruction and home language in infant and primary schools is another step forward in fostering the language. The primary purpose of the pilot is to teach Kweyol and develop fully literate teachers who can help create bilingual readers, dictionaries, and curricula. How do we fully implement kweyol literacy? Bilingual tests and assessments within the school system? Encouragement of kweyol use by businesses and civil organizations through tax incentives or recognition for companies?
Finally, we must understand that the use of Kweyol and its promotion are for us, not for any other society. For too long, Kweyol and its use — or lack of use — have centered on illogical reasons, focusing on non-Lucians and their ilk. It is high time we refocus our attention on developing our national identity. To do this, perhaps we may need to acknowledge the many persons who kept the culture and language alive, with an Order of Saint Lucia in all seven classes.
