Kreolistika n°1 – Teaching Creole in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean – State of play

Coordinated by Max Bélaise

The first issue of this new creolist review, edited by Crillash (University of the West Indies) focuses on the transmission of Creole in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean.

More than fifteen years after the publication of the last issue of the review Études créoles , Kréolistika returns to the theme of Creole at school, which arouses many passions. Unlike its predecessor, Kréolistika gives an equal share to the Caribbean and Indo-Oceanian areas with an incursion into Africa (Cape Verde).

This new journal focuses on the universal problem of the transmission of a language that linguists say is the first to be born almost in vitro . Astonishing fate, if any, for thousands of men, enslaved by their fellows, who invented a totally new language, Creole, through a linguistic resilience hitherto unprecedented.

This resistance, which would be inscribed in the memories of their descendants, is a heritage to capitalize on, a contribution to the rest of humanity. So why be afraid to promote and transmit a language which – in its Haitian version – is now recognized as an official language in New York? The descendants of Toussaint Louverture are very proud of it. And so, what about those who have remained linked to the country of Descartes and scientific reason? Should they wait for a state anointing to seize the language of their ancestors?

This issue reviews the specificities of territories with different political statuses, the similarities and differences between independent nations and countries still linked to a mother country. Be that as it may, it is of undeniable interest for anyone interested in the Creole cause, whether activist, practitioner or researcher.