15814: Hermantin responds to Elysee and Pichard (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

I don’t know that one really seeks to perpetuate the vestiges of
colonialism  by teaching  French to children who are “native speakers” of
Haitian Creole.  I think that the vestiges of colonialism and elitism are
alive and well in other values  we perpetuate through the language we speak
whichever it may be. People still talk about “good hair” and “ bad hair”.
We still describe people with “traits fins” and “bel moun” ( never meaning a
dark skinned person).   Instead of  being concerned about the second
language they acquire in  school, we should be outraged by the way in which
these same children we care so much for are bombarded day in day out, in our
beloved Creole, with negative messages about their “bad hair”and  thick lips
and god forbid, their dark skin.

Colonialism is alive and well in the way in which we pressure our girls to
do something nice with their their thick, " nappy "hair  so that it could
look “nice and straight” and “white”.   Or are  encouraged to reproduce in a
way that will "ammeliorer" la race.  Weren’t we all subjected to the
vilification of Jean Bertrand Aristide by some, not because of his failings
as a leader, but because of the thickness of his lips and the darkness of
his skin?  Here in Miami, the Haitian middle class can still say in very
good Creole, thank you, that it doesn't  want to have anything to do with
the “Zulus” and “Congos” who live in Little Haiti.

As the mother of two children (10 and 14) who have received bilingual
education (French and English) in Miami for most of their lives, I don’t
believe that learning French and being proud Haitians are necessarily
mutually exclusive propositions. My son has attended a bilingual public
school since first grade and my daughter a private one from pre-K on.  I
must add that my children’s ability to speak French fluently has facilitated
greater connection to Haitian culture. First with their grand parents who
would not speak to them in Creole, and to other relatives (who can’t speak
English) whose stories and recollections told in French and Creole,  about
the country and more specifically about the family’s history  have passed on
to these children an incredible sense of pride in self and in being Haitian.
  They enjoy  hanging out at Mapou Cultural Center, and browse through the
collection of books about Haiti written in French, in English and in Creole.
  My 14 year old  son has read Gouverneur de la Rosee in French, as well as
a series of historical “bandes dessinees” in Creole he picked up at Mapou’s.
  In fact, they read documents printed in Creole for Grandma who professes
not to read it.

My daughter has traveled to Guadeloupe and French Guyana with her school and
claims with the audacious sense of cultural superiority we Haitians are
reputed to have, that all things Haitian are the best.  After all she says,
they don’t speak Creole as well as we do and more importantly, our “di ri ak
pwa” is second to none….

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