Going back to Dominica in October for Creole Month was an exciting and emotional experience. Creole Month is the celebration of Dominica’s rich heritage acquired from emancipation and slavery.
My last Creole celebration was in my teens. I’m now 25. I remember going to school in my madras wear, hearing cadence-lypso on DBS radio and on Marpin news. I remember watching the steel pan performance at Cabrits, Portsmouth – a well-known national park – with my family and indulging in Creole food such as crab callaloo. I gathered around the stage with my friends to see my classmates showcase their talents in celebration of the season and whether it was working the stage in quadrille or freestyling in Kwéyòl, we got to experience it all together.
I would also go to Creole Mass with my grandparents and my mum, singing hymns in Kwéyòl and reciting the Lord’s Prayer: “Papa Bon Dye ou pa ni bout, Ba nou lape Papa nou tout...” Like most Dominicans and St Lucians I learnt the Kwéyòl language by listening. It is generationally known as the secret mother language.