6182:Re: 6163: Teaching a lesson: "blan" or Madanm" (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: C&C Henrius <carolineislands@hotmail.com>
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Perhaps I was too defensive because I know exactly what you mean by that 
"colonizer complex" and I felt a need to explain a little of what I'm 
about...  One of the funniest conversations I've ever gotten into was in the 
back of a taptap in downtown Port-au-Prince in which a couple people called 
me "blan" and I pretended to be very offended (we all knew it was in good 
fun).  One guy laughed and said, "E pa blan ou ye???" To which I said 'Who 
ME?' and made a huge deal over not realizing my skin was light.  Everyone 
was hooting and laughing at my feigned offense and when I said, "Pa rele m 
konsa fre m -- M pa zanmi blan non!" it got the best laugh of all.  I wish 
we could laugh that easily and heartily about our differences here in the 
United States!

And sometimes I pretend not to know Creole until people have said enough 
about me to be embarrassed by my fluent response to their comments.  But 
that's another story!

In Port-au-Prince I am probably called the "blan" when I'm not there, but in 
our own community I believe they call me Madanm Sedano or Kawolin.  Which is 
fine with me!

Thanks for your reply, and I apoligize for my defensiveness... just don't 
want to be thought of as a colonizer.

Caroline Henrius



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