Kreyòl, Haiti’s “Mother Tongue” a Challenge to Colonialism

How did Kreyòl a mixture of African, Indigenous and French languages become the mother tongue of Haitian people despite being heavily influenced by the colonizer’s language and how does it represent a struggle against colonialism in the 21st century?

If you are familiar with my blog you know I write about a variety of issues, mainly centered around indigenous people, from a Chicano perspective. This perspective is informed by a critical analysis of the class struggle that plays itself out in a country founded on stolen land based on the slave labor of Africans. However, America was not alone in enslaving Africans, the Spanish, French, Portuguese and several other European nations would lead the way in this trafficking of human beings.

As a project for my PhD program in Education for Social Justice at the University of San Diego we were asked to do a case study of a country. In our EDUC 604 Education and Globalization course we were given several countries to choose from. Although there were some limitations, we had to pick a country that was considered “low-income” according to the World Bank’s Global Monitoring Report (2015). As a “Latino”¹ I was drawn toward learning more about a country from Latin America in particular Cuba, Venezuela or some other left leaning or socialist country. Unfortunately, for me none of those countries are considered low-income according to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. I’m not sure what the measurements were that were used in this study, but I was also happy to learn that two of the more progressive governments in Latin America were not considered low-income.

One of the few countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean that is low-income happens to be Haiti. This nation which shares the island with the Dominican Republic is one of the poorest nations in the western hemisphere. This fact is often noted when speaking of Haiti, but what is rarely discussed is that Haiti was also the first free Black Nation and the first to gain independence in the region in 1804, Mexico would claim victory in its independence in 1821.

This slave revolution was led by Toussaint Louverture a former slave of the French colony. The strong African presence in the colony was a result of the slave trade led, by the French and other European powers. This colonial history of Haiti is crucial for understanding many of the issues this country faces today. For this post my focus is language and the struggle between the French colonial language and what some would call the mother language of Haiti, Kreyòl. (DeGraff, 2017)

Many will not know and would not guess that the main language of Haiti is Kreyòl. This language is a hybrid language that comes from the experience of those in Haiti, so it is not spoken any where else in the world, unless Haitians have taken it there as a result of emigration. The language was created by African slaves who could not communicate with each other due to the various villages they originated from in Africa. In order to communicate they found themselves having to speak the language of the colonizers while also incorporating words, phrases and ideas from their own languages. Added to that mixture is the language of the Taino people whose land the Spanish and French had occupied. They also interacted closely with Africans on the island, especially those escaping slavery. This unique slave experience informed the creation of a new hybrid language. This experience was similar in places like Jamaica, Barbados and other Caribbean islands. What sets Haiti apart from those islands is that the slaves themselves were able to gain their independence from French colonial rule in 1804. One aspect of their newly formed national identity was the Kreyòl language.

Today 100% of the people on the island speak this hybrid colonial language, but it is a language impacted by class and race. A small percentage of the island also speaks French and it is the language of the elite (DeGrath, 2017; Lewis, 2004). What is most surprising, is that all of schools teach the children in the language of the colonizers. This includes the textbooks that are used (DeGrath, 2017). I found this issue to be the most shocking. It is unbelievable to imagine that every person in the country, including the elite speak Kreyòl, but that children are forced to learn in a language that they will rarely use in their daily life. DeGrath argues this is the result of the value of the colonial language and the devaluing of the indigenous.

Globalization

Globalization is an area of research that can play a role in analyzing the struggle between Kreyòl and French in Haiti. Block, (2008) looks at three facets of this phenomenon. He frames it as how language has become commodified, in particular English and how it has become the international language. He also looks at the politics behind the teaching of English (Block, 2008). As English becomes more and more dominant it will be interesting to see how it challenges French in Haiti as the language of international commerce. Perhaps an in-road can be created for those from below to replace both foreign languages with Kreyòl the language of the people.

Critical Pedagogy

Another approach to language analysis in particular the teaching of language is the idea of critical pedagogy (CP). Crookes (2010) cites Pennycook when defining CP “…critical pedagogy seeks to understand and critique the historical and sociopolitical context of schooling and to develop pedagogical practices that aim not only to change the nature of schooling, but also the wider society” (p. 334). Crookes looks at the various approaches that can be taking when critiquing the teaching of second languages be that English or English as a foreign language. Crookes offers a variety of issues that arise when thinking critically of language instruction and advocates for the “imaginary” when thinking about ways to challenge oppression for the future. In the case of Haiti, a former colonized country where the vast majority of the population still live in poverty and suffer under a post-colonial government must consider the role of language and how it contributes to the ongoing exploitation of most Haitians (Block, 2008; DeGraff, 2016). These are all issues of power differentials between French and Kreyòl.

Post Colonialism

When looking at post-colonial Egypt, Haggar Said (2018) is critical of the role that English still plays in the educational system there. He describes having to read what is considered the classics in the English language and how this acts to discount the language, culture and identity of the youth in the nation (Said, 2018). This same issue can be seen in Haiti where the students textbooks are entirely in a foreign language mostly French (DeGraff, 2016), but as Canagarajah and Said (2011) point out English has played a more prominent role in the post colonial world.

Conclusion

As we have seen, the struggle for justice in Haiti is deeply impacted by the colonial history of the that nation. A major aspect in this struggle is the role of language especially under the post-colonial experience of students who continue to learn in a language that is not their own and completely discounts their daily lives. For the people of Haiti to be free there must be a critical pedagogy that addresses not just the colonial nature of the relationship with France, but more importantly with the role of the United States, today’s super power.

Art by Gina Simpson, 2018 (click image for link)

1 This term is highly problematic and stems from Spanish colonialism in the Americas. It has become a term used to describe a very broad segment of the U.S. population which includes Chicanas/os/xs.

References

Block, D. (2008). Language Education and Globalization. In Language education in Europe: The common European framework of reference. (pp. 31-43). Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-30424-3_3

Canagarajah, S. & Said, S.B. (2011). Linguistic Imperialism. In J. Simpson (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of applied linguistics, (pp. 388-400). Routledge.

Crookes, G. (2010). The practicality and relevance of second language critical pedagogy. Language Teaching, 43(3), 333-348. DOI:10.1017/S0261444809990292

DeGraff, M. (2016). Mother-tongue books in Haiti: The power of Kreyòl in learning to read and in reading to learn. Prospects (00331538), 46(3/4), 435–464. https://doi-org.sandiego.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s11125-017-9389-6

Lewis, R. (2004). Language, Culture and Power: Haiti under the Duvaliers. Caribbean Quarterly,50(4), 42-51. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40654478

Said, H. (2018). The role of English education in post-colonial Egypt: Criticisms and solutions for the future. In G.J. Sefa Dei & C.S. Jaimungal (Eds.), Indigeneity and decolonial resistance: Alternatives to colonial thinking and practice (pp. 125-138). Myers Education Press.

Wikipedia. (2020) Toussaint Louverture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toussaint_Louverture

World Bank. (2015) Global Monitoring Report. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/global-monitoring-report

2020 Finally Coming to a Close. Thank Goodness!

I’m so glad this year is finally coming to an end. Covid-19 kicked most people’s asses. Some were impacted more than others. My job as a teacher changed completely. Some weren’t so lucky to keep their jobs and others had to keep working right on through the pandemic. The so called essential workers. But probably the biggest news that many people will remember is that Donald Trump aka El Gran Cheeto, The Mussolini of Manhattan, Donald Chump etc etc was finally kicked out of office. Well kinda, as of this writing he is still in office and will stay there until January 22, 2021, which is in inauguration day. I wonder if Biden will make it that far, he is 78 after all.

Anyways the good news is Chump is out. I am also in my second year of the PhD program so that is good, although I could be doing better academically, it’s not easy when you work full-time. Interesting thing is that this is an online program, but all programs are online now, so having an online degree won’t be such a big deal anymore.

That’s it for now folks. I just wanted to write something, since it’s been almost a year since I last posted. I unfortunately lost my url because I didn’t renew it, so now it will be nativejourney.blog. Which is cool I guess, I think it might have been .com before. So hope you enjoyed reading my latest blog post, until next year… jaa j/k I will be posting something for my PhD class actually as an assignment, so stay tuned. Oh by the way I also have a YouTube channel that I use more frequently so check that out as well. Find me under mrabelonee.

And to end this post I’m leaving you with an image from Chicano artist Eric Garcia. Check out his amazing work.

Another Year of Life Under Trump

Going into 2019 is crazy to imagine. I can’t believe we have survived two years under a Trump presidency. Things are hectic here at the U.S. Mexico border especially at the Tijuana/San Ysidro crossing. We held a protest in support of the migrants from Honduras and other Central American countries.

Member of AIM Southern California leading the march for migrant rights at the U.S. Mexico border (Nov. 25, 2018). Image by @lsd_images on Instagram

There has been some backlash against people who live in Tijuana against the migrants due to the challenges that people have faced especially when Trump supports shutting down the border to bring the area to a screeching halt. People are taking out their frustrations on the migrants instead of the real culprit, which is the Trump administration and the Border Patrol.

Lopez Obrador participating in a ceremony to the four directions, creator and mother earth. (Dec. 1, 2018)

On the flip side there is hope in Mexico’s new president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. It was amazing to see the welcome he received by the native community in Mexico. It was a very symbolic gesture when he was given the Baston de Manda, which if you know anything about the native community, you know this is a huge deal. I know from carrying sacred staffs from Canada to Panama, that these are important gestures.

I was concerned about some of the development projects he mentioned during his speech, but hopefully these can be worked out between the two interest. I could write so much more about the last year, but unfortunately due to my work load this year, I haven’t had time to write at all, so I gotta get back to work, hope my followers are happy, but please leave a comment or send me a message if you want to discuss more, I will respond.

Pala Rez Pow Wow in August

Here is flyer for Pala Pow Wow. click image to go to link with more info on Pala website. To learn more about the history of the people click here

Shout Out to the New Subscribers

Welcome to the new year, 2018!

Wait, according to who?

Damn it, I thought I was just gonna give a shout out to my new followers and then I started thinking. I can’t turn it off, I’m always gonna be asking questions. So with that said, I do want to welcome my new followers and thank you for having an interest in my blog.

With that I encourage people to learn more about the calendar that we do use to keep track of time in this country and know that not everyone in the world uses this same system. For example the Chinese have their own calendar, but for business and commerce they follow the dominant system that the western world uses. A good starting place to start is Wikipedia and go from there: Gregorian Calendar.  Apparently it gets its name from Pope Gregory XIII and was introduced in 1582.

So did our ancestors have their own calendar? Most certainly and there is a great website that can tell you what today is and you can even go back in time and find out what your birthday is according to the Mexica calendar. (disclaimer, there is debate as to the accuracy of this calendar, so before you go getting a tattoo, do more research)

If we are to believe AztecCalendar.com Today Jan. 18, 2018 is: 12 Jaguar or Mahtlactli-ome Ocelotl, in the month of 1 House or Ce Calli in the year 6 Rabbit or Chicuace Tochtli. On the Mayan Long Count calendar today is 13.0.5.2.14.

Here is link to youtube video on how to count in Nahuatl

Here’s another video on how to pronounce Nahuatl language

By the way, this is not the Aztec Calendar or tonalpohualli. It was a tribute to the sun, but does contain the twenty day names that are on the calendar, so it is often confused and misnamed Aztec Calendar.

It is also not Mayan. This is an image of Mayan symbols and language, but as you can tell, the Aztecs based their measure of time on the Mayan system and just adapted it to their culture and language.

I hope you enjoyed this small introduction to measuring time and learned a little bit about your culture, (if you are indigenous to Mexico or Central American) and thanks again for following my blog.

Coco, Un Poco Loco

By Abel Macias

A Chicano’s dilemma with the film by Pixar

I begin by saying, that I went to go watch the movie, not once, but twice and hope to watch it again, but this time in español.

My dilemma

As an educator, when I began to come across media advertisements for the film I thought it would be a good topic of discussion for my Chicana/o Studies classes. I showed the trailer for the film in my classes and I also shared the controversy around the attempt by Disney to copyright the former title Dia de los Muertos.

I allowed my students to decide whether they would watch the film and whether they felt that Lalo Alcaraz had contradicted himself when he signed on as a cultural consultant. This was an effort to promote discussion and critical thought.

However, after watching the trailer a few times, I actually thought this would be a good film to take my little nieces to. One of them being age one and the other age five. I knew both of them enjoyed watching the film Moana, another Disney film about a young Polynesia girl who turns out to be the hero. I thought to myself why shouldn’t my nieces enjoy a film about their own people and culture.

Realistically only I would know about what had happened a year prior with Disney and I was willing to put that aside, since it was only my politics that I was sacrificing in order for my nieces to have a good time. I knew this was just going to be a window into the world of their culture, but it would be a window on the big screen, one that they could identify with hopefully.

Rumble in the Jungle

There were some rumblings on social media about how Chicanas/os shouldn’t see the film, but I knew it wasn’t as simple as that. I knew this situation called for a different response.

My analysis was of the broader society and this decision warranted a more sophisticated approach that took into account many factors, not just a decision based on a blanket position against all corporations and their products. After all we use many products in order to function in our daily lives that are produced as a result of capitalism. We have to be able function in our daily lives and not get hung up on issues that are not going to prevent us from carrying out our work or ability to prosper as human beings. This film was definitely not going to harm us and actually did the opposite and gave me great pleasure in being able to witness a tradition that is related to my people and culture.

The Unfortunate Reality

Unfortunately, the bigger picture here is not whether we should see the film or not, but that we even have to be having this debate.  Chicanas/os can’t just go to the movies and enjoy themselves like “normal Americans”. We constantly have to be wary of what we are going to see when we go to the movies. The history of Hollywood has historically been bad for our people. We have had to endure decades of stereotypical portrayals of our community and culture. That is if we are even given a voice, many times we are relegated to the margins of a script and used only as props to support the heroification of someone else.

One day we will be able to just enjoy ourselves at the movies, but that day won’t come until we change society and until then, we have to extract the benefits from the dominant cultural productions that surround us, while at the same time trying to influence them, since these reach the broadest audiences.

By the way, the film has surpassed expectations and surpassed other box office hits and was number one in it’s second week and looking good going into its third week, the only thing that will stop it is Star Wars. May the fuerza be with you and don’t forget to enjoy yourself when you soak in some scifi fun, because even Chicanos/as love Jedi’s and their crazy friends like Chewie. Oh another by the way if you hated on Coco, don’t let me catch you at the theater watching the Last Jedi, ‘cuz guess who owns Lucas Films now? Yes, Walt Disney cabrones.

Why does Chicano Park have images of Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara?

By Abel Macias

September 4, 2017

These questions are important in light of the current conditions that we find ourselves in. As we have seen, Donald Trump has given rise to those who believe in White Supremacy and racial hatred. Many of these Neo-Nazi and White supremacist groups feel emboldened by the Trump presidency and secure in coming out of the shadows and expressing their racist views in public.

It was this atmosphere of embolden racism that caught the attention of the Chicano/a/x community when they heard rumors that Neo-Nazis were coming to attack their park. It was the terrorist attacks in Charlottesville that made people feel a heightened sense of urgency and vigilance when they heard someone dared to step foot in Chicano Park to do anything that was perceived as disrespectful.

In essence the community was not having it and is feed up with racist attacks against Mexicans and all people of color.

The response was great, three to five hundred people showed up to defend the park. People drove in from out of town to lend their support. There were Chicanos, Chicanas, Chicanx, socialist, anarchist, Whites, Blacks, Natives and many others who came out in mass to defend the park and its murals.

But what murals were under attack and scrutiny? It appears White supremacist and Neo-Nazis don’t like Fidel Castro and Che Guevarra because they were communist. They also tried to equate an ancient Native American symbol which they stole to represent their fascist regime in Nazi Germany.

But what is wrong with communism and why can’t we determine for ourselves who we choose as our heroes? The Chicano community has every right to sympathize with communism, socialism or any other ideology that it feels meets the needs of our community. Who are outsiders to say what we can or can’t believe in? This is the essence of self-determination and what we have been fighting for since those murals were painted back in 1973.

Who was Fidel and why does he deserve a place in Chicano Park? Without getting into a very long history lesson, we should know that Fidel was a revolutionary leader that overthrew the Cuban government in order to bring about change for the people. Because he beat overwhelming odds in defeating the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista who was backed by the United States, he is a hero. He was and is an inspiration to the people who feel they can never win a battle with a more powerful force. But he proved that wrong, he was a shining example of how organization, determination, faith and perseverance can beat all odds.

One of the people who helped Fidel defeat the Batista dictatorship was Dr. Ernesto Che Guevara. Che was an Argentinian by birth, but left his country after studying to become a medical doctor to travel Latin America. He met Fidel in Mexico where the Cuban was making plans to reenter his country with a small group of revolutionaries in order to take power. After their successful overthrow of the dictatorship and implementation of the new government, Che decided to go to Bolivia in order to help build another revolutionary army to overthrow the Bolivian government. Unfortunately, he was unaware the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States was sending support to the Bolivian government in order to stop another revolution in Latin America. Che was assassinated by Bolivian forces with the assistance of CIA operatives stationed in the country.

So to the Chicano Movement in the 1960s Fidel Castro and Che Guevara were heroes in the fight against U.S. Imperialism and Capitalism. These two systems are the same that continue to oppress Chicanas/os today. And it is for that reason that we defend the legacy, imagery and murals painted in Chicano Park. Because even if people do not know the history that is represented in some of the figures and icons that are in Chicano Park they know that no right wing racist or Neo-Nazis are going to come into the park and destroy or deface the murals that we fought for.

Yesterday, was an amazing example of how the people came together to defend what is ours. Now we must continue to organize ourselves and study the legacy of Fidel, Che and many others who fought to make a better world. If we learn anything from these great heroes, we should learn that they analyzed the conditions they were under in order to make strategic decisions that would lead to victory in the face of great odds.

Onward Mi Gente

¡Hasta la Victoria Siempre!

Balboa Park Pow Wow 2017

Power to the People, Fight Gentrification

The piece below this image was originally published by me back in 2015 in response to a cover story written by Kinsee Morlan. Here is a link to her City Beat article, the headline of the original article has been changed from “power to the people” to “A Renaissance on Logan Ave” http://sdcitybeat.com/culture/features/renaissance-logan-avenue/

After having read the piece in City Beat Magazine (People Power, Barrio Logan, July 22, 2015), I felt the need to write a response and hopefully stir people to think more critically about what is really happening on Logan Avenue.

I was born and raised in San Diego, and I’ve been around long enough to know gentrification when I see it. Plain and simple, what is happening on Logan Avenue is a phase in that process.

I think what confuses people about what is happening is that you have brown folks   involved in the process, some are calling this “gente-fication”. But color is just one thing that informs our judgments; we have to consider how class intersects with this as well.  Don’t get me wrong I’m in favor of the arts and Brown people moving forward, but we have to consider the cost of so called progress and who ultimately benefits from that “progress”.   We must reflect how our actions are contributing to a larger situation that is beyond our control unless we have a highly organized, militant and complex response to what is happening. It may seem cool now, but capital isn’t interested in community empowerment, it’s interested in dollars and how to maximize profit.

You may be reading this and thinking what a *#!?!* hater.  But before you dismiss read on.

The article in City Beat seems to go back and forth around this issue of gentrification, whether it’s happening or not and whether it’s good or bad. Some of the points made lack depth and a clear analysis.

As John Alvarado mentions in the piece, much of Logan Avenue was “overlooked by bigtime developers/investors who wanted to swoop up cheap land close to downtown”, apparently that is changing “it wasn’t until last year that a lot of properties were sold on and around the block”. Alvarado is actually confirming the process of gentrification is taking place. Alvarado represents the small business interest in the neighborhood (or in Marxist terms the petty bourgeoisie) as the Director of the Logan Avenue Business Association.

According to another source for the article, Juan Martinez, a broker for a real estate firm located in Bonita, argues several properties were just sold, but not to worry about gentrification, “at least not for now, because the developers seem to be a good fit for the neighborhood”.  What the hell?  Who are these developers and why does Juan Martinez get to decide what is a good fit for the neighborhood? Were community members at the table when he was meeting developers that were interested in buying?  I doubt it.

Another investor Sasha Favelukis just purchased two properties on the block and plans to open up studios and a restaurant, but claims it’s in the interest of artist. I’m sorry but investors don’t put down hard cash because they are worried about the art scene in Barrio

Logan, they spend money to make money, bottom line.  Based on a recent ad for property  on Logan Avenue commercial property prices have jumped to $2.10 per square foot. This is double the price in some areas of San Diego from just a few years ago.

I’m glad to see someone in the article made sense, probably because he’s already seen it happen. David White was pushed out of his artist studio in North Park and says, “it’ll be difficult to protect the street from the kind of development that raises rent and forces artists out”. He predicts rents will increase dramatically in the next few years. I think White is correct in his prediction. One space is already struggling to keep up and is looking for artist to help cover the cost by leasing space at $300 a month and has even resorted to gofundme.org to raise additional money. Without support from the city the art spaces will have a difficult time keeping up with the cost of operating without bringing in some kind of revenue. [update, this space “The Church” closed soon after this article was published and had to move to a smaller space across the street]

However, the writer Kinsee Morlan tries to end the article on an upbeat note and includes  the voice of an architect Hector Perez. Perez along with other architects bought nine lots in the area not including a design school down the street. They designed a creative building with an image of Cesar Chavez on the side. He admits that the “development sharks” are circling, but thinks that the community can salvage its cultural identity and isn’t too worried.  Well, if I owned property on the block I wouldn’t be too worried either, because any property I owned would only increase in value as the area becomes more gentrified.

Imagery and icons from the Chicano community can be easily appropriated to fit the needs of developers or business interest in general. (see Urban Outfitters for the latest examples)

You can call it what you want, but culture is controlled by those who own the wealth in society and as property values continue to rise, poor and working class Raza will get pushed out. According to the census, the white population in 92113 has jumped from 11.7% to 32.8 from 2000 to 2010.

When a wealthier population moves into an area they will want to see and experience things that make them feel comfortable based not just on income, but also race and social background. So it’s only a matter of time before brown working class residents and artist get pushed out. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the truth. Perhaps this message will encourage the Raza that are there to think critically about what is happening and face the writing on the wall. If the community wants to save the Barrio than it has to implement guarantees that will protect the social, economic, cultural and political interest of the community that is quickly being displaced and the way to do this is through organization. More importantly these organizations must develop a clear analysis of their position in this process of gentrification or else they are just pawns in the development game.

Solidarity with Standing Rock in San Diego