Celebrating Creole as a tool for national development

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haitian scholars, writers, and artists gathered this week to celebrate Jounen Entènasyonal Lang ak Kilti Kreyòl — International Creole Day — with a series of activities honoring Haiti’s national language and cultural heritage.

The Haitian Creole Academy (AKA) and the National Book Directorate (DNL) hosted an exhibition, conference, and cultural showcase on Oct. 24 as part of Mwa Lang Kreyòl or Creole Language Month. This year’s theme, “Lang kreyòl, zouti devlopman nan tout Repiblik la” — “The Creole language, a tool for development throughout the entire Republic” — highlighted how Creole can drive progress in education, governance, and social inclusion.

“We need to come together so that this language can find its rightful place in society,” said Rosilia François Corneille, president of the Haitian Creole Academy. “Creole is our tool for development and our heritage.”

Dozens of participants, including linguists, authors, and students, filled DNL’s Port-au-Prince offices for the celebration, which blended academic debate with artistic expression. Though held under rainy skies as Hurricane Melissa approached, the event carried an atmosphere of pride and reflection.

A table filled with novels, essays, plays, dialogues, and poetry collections — all written in Haitian Creole — was displayed during the event organized by the Haitian Creole Academy (AKA) and the National Book Directorate (DNL) to promote the Creole language and culture in Port-au-Prince on October 24, 2025. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise / The Haitian Times

Panelists explored the importance of integrating Creole in education and policymaking, underlining its role as the primary language spoken by all Haitians. Academic Jean Pauris Jean-Baptiste reminded attendees that “a people’s language is the tool through which it grows, communicates, and carries out its projects — today and into the future.”

Joining him on the panel “Lang kreyòl nan edikasyon ak amenajman lengwistik” or“Creole in Education and Linguistic Planning” were linguist Marie Rodny Laurent, informal education advocate Jean Grégory Calixte, and writer Christopher Phillippe Charles. Together, they urged a comprehensive linguistic policy to ensure Creole is systematically used in schools, administration, and media.

“We can’t yet quantify the full volume of Creole-language production,” Laurent noted. “But today, we can take pride in how far we’ve come — even if some once resisted its rise.”

At the center, academician Marie Rodny Laurent holding the microphone; to her right, academician Jean Grégory Calixte; to her left, academician Jean Pauris Jean-Baptiste, during the event promoting the Creole language organized by the Haitian Creole Academy (AKA) and the National Directorate of Books (DNL), in Port-au-Prince, on Friday, October 24, 2025. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise

Between speeches, storytellers and actors brought Creole literature to life through oral poetry and readings of works by Haitian authors. The musical group Matouba energized the audience with konpa and troubadò rhythms, celebrating the beauty of the language through song.

Books of all genres — novels, essays, plays, and poetry collections — were displayed and sold, offering visitors a rich literary experience that underscored Creole’s vitality in written form.

View of part of the audience attending the conference, along with moments of musical and poetic relaxation, during the event promoting the Creole language organized by the Haitian Creole Academy (AKA) and the National Directorate of Books (DNL), in Port-au-Prince, on Friday, October 24, 2025. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise

The celebration was part of a broader national movement. Across the capital and beyond, schools and cultural institutions marked Mwa Lang Kreyòl with their own events. At Saint Trinity School, teachers and students dedicated a day to Creole-language learning. The publishing house Maison Édition Freda organized a “Konbit Kreyòl” to promote Creole books in classrooms.

The events served as a reminder that Haiti’s language is both a cultural treasure and a key to its future.

“The question of language is no trivial matter,” Jean-Baptiste said. “When we elevate Creole, we’re affirming who we are — and who we can become.”

Below are photos from the event by the Haitian Creole Academy and the National Book Directorate promoting Creole language and culture.

View of part of the audience attending the conference, along with moments of musical and poetic relaxation, during the event promoting the Creole language organized by the Haitian Creole Academy (AKA) and the National Directorate of Books (DNL), in Port-au-Prince, on Friday, October 24, 2025. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise/ The Haitian Times Tribute paid by the Haitian Creole Academy and the National Book Directorate to the late young writer Jessica Nazaire, who passed away in 2022, leaving behind works that highlight the Haitian Creole language and who was a founding member of the Creole Literature Festival. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise/ The Haitian Times

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