#1215: More on Creole : Blanchet comments

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Max Blanchet <MaxBlanchet@worldnet.att.net>

I have made my views on this hot topic known in a four-page piece

that can be found on Windows on Haiti.

By and large my views are in sync with those articulated by Degraff.

In order to achieve universal literacy in short order and truly tap into

the Haitian people's creative genius, Creole must be made the premier

national language. This is mostly the job of the National Government. This last

point is very important. If French, as an example, is the language of high

culture that it is today, it is because the political establishment in France starting

with Philippe le Bel made the political decision to turn French into the working

language of French society at all levels. A language of high culture does

not fall from heaven like manna. It comes about through hard work, especially on

the part of a national government.

And I  am eagerly awaiting a move by the Lavalas Establishment along this line!

A major fallout from the promotion of Creole  will be the blossoming of French.

Once the vast majority of Haitians is well educated, the learning of French will be

made that much easier and accessible to that majority.

I simply do not see the Creole-versus-French issue as a zero-sum game.

Of course, the study of Spanish and English will logically be made

easier as well and accessible to all in a well-functioning educational system.

I suggest we all observe a sort of "Trêve de Noël" and move on to other topics

while we  investigate  and ponder what is truly happening "sur le terrain" in Haiti.

Perhaps it might be useful for some of us to report on this.

The results might very well surprise some of us!