The Politics of Language

Language in the French Caribbean has never been neutral. For centuries, French was civilization, Creole was backwardness. This linguistic hierarchy enforced social hierarchies.

"My grandmother was beaten in school for speaking Creole," recalls André Lubeth, a Guadeloupean writer. "Teachers would make students wear a shameful collar—'collier de la honte'—if caught speaking their mother tongue. The psychological damage was profound."

Education Battles

Until recently, education happened exclusively in French, a language many children didn't speak at home. The results were predictable: high failure rates, psychological alienation, and internalized shame.

"I thought I was stupid because I couldn't express my thoughts properly in French," shares Sylviane Telchid, now a celebrated Creole writer. "Later I realized my thoughts weren't wrong—I was thinking in Creole but forced to speak French. When I started writing in Creole, I discovered I had plenty to say."

Recent Recognition

Changes came slowly: - 1970s: Creole studies enter universities - 1980s: Optional Creole classes in schools - 2000s: CAPES certification for Creole teachers - 2010s: Bilingual education experiments

"We're still fighting for true bilingual education," states Hector Poullet, Creole language advocate. "Not Creole as a bridge to French, but Creole as a language of knowledge equal to French."