Duke's First Undergraduate Thesis Written in Creole

Lydia Bradford's project attests to growth of Duke's Haiti scholarship

Lydia Bradford came to Duke from Oklahoma City four years ago expecting to immerse herself in global health issues. But when she discovered that Duke offered Creole language courses, her plans changed.

Having learned some about Haiti in middle and high school, Bradford enrolled in one Creole course, and then another, and soon enough she was involved in the Franklin Humanities Institute’s Haiti Lab, taking three courses along with an independent study and two trips to Haiti.

Earlier this month, Bradford received a bachelor of arts in Romance Studies, becoming the first Duke student to write an undergraduate honors thesis in Creole.

Here, Bradford talks with Duke Today about her academic journey and love of Creole.

The Creole program at Duke is still fairly young. What made you go in that direction, and what was your experience like?

To have a concentration in Haitian Creole, the department told me that I had to write a thesis to show my proficiency. In hearing this, I actually assumed that my thesis had to be written in Haitian Creole, so from the beginning, I had already planned to write it in Creole. In addition to this, throughout the Haitian Creole program our professor, Jacques Pierre, always encouraged us to understand the importance of fighting for the language in the language itself. This Haitian Creole program at Duke is great, and very encouraging. Jacques Pierre teaches all the levels and the way he integrates the language, history and culture into the classes was good. I learned a ton and by my second semester of Creole, I was speaking Creole comfortably. I was never afraid to speak in class, and that in turn helped my Creole immensely.

Is there a Creole-speaking community here large enough for you to hone and keep up your language skills? How about when you graduate? What are your plans?

There is a small Creole-speaking community in Durham that I got to know while at Duke; however, the biggest help in honing my language skill was my friend Tanya Thomas, who is a Haitian-American student at Duke. She would speak with me in Creole and correct all of my mistakes. It was always a huge help.

In addition to Tanya and the small Haitian community, I made friends in Haiti with whom I stay in contact and practice my Creole over Messenger or Skype. Right now having graduated, I am teaching with Teach for America in Tulsa, Okla., for two years, so I do not know if I will be able to find a way to continuing honing my skills in Haitian Creole, but I hope to do so.

What is it about Haiti that drew your interest?

I became interested in middle school because of the beauty of the country. It’s such a beautiful island in the Caribbean. As I would continue to explore Haiti more in the classroom, begin to speak the language and visit Haiti, I would learn more about the culture and history and people. The culture, history and language are rich and full of beauty.

And a Question for Jacques Pierre

What is the significance of Lydia Bradford completing Duke’s first honors thesis written in Creole?The Haiti Lab has long been promoting Haitian Creole and culture, and therefore it is very important for someone to write his or her thesis in the language. It shows that students and scholars can use the language at any level, not just learn it for the so-called humanitarian aid.At Duke, we lead by example. Creole is taught here, and we promote the teaching of the language through a consortium we have with the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt UNC-Chapel Hill. We have been holding International Creole Day every October 28, and we have other events, like a film series, music performances, etc. In all, at Duke it’s not just talking about Creole in another language; it’s important to talk about Creole in Creole.

By Eric Ferreri | May 19.2017

PAOLA MATHE: CHANGING THE GAME

Paola Mathé is a lover of epic adventures, African headwraps, and all things colorful. Born a dreamer from a small town in Haiti, Paola moved to the United States right around her teenage years. She obtained her dual bachelor's degree in  Economics and French Literature at Drew University. Lost between her artistic desires and thirst for adventure, Paola moved New York City after her studies to live her dreams. She started her career in hospitality where she went to manage, operate and open trendy hotels and restaurants in Manhattan. In her spare time, she shared her dreams, colorful personality, and style on Finding Paola, her lifestyle blog.In 2014, Paola launched Fanm Djanm, a head wrap collection and popular lifestyle brand that celebrates the strength of women while also empowering to live boldly. Known for her bold style and creative visions, Paola has been featured in many established online and print publications such as The New York Times, Teen Vogue, NY Magazine/The Cut, Oxygen, Cup of Jo, Harper's Bazaar, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Design Sponge, and Essence.com.

UN votes to end Haiti peacekeeping mission in October

The UN Security Council voted unanimously on Thursday to end its 13-year-long peacekeeping mission in Haiti and replace it with a smaller police.The move signals the international community believes the impoverished Caribbean nation is stabilising after successful elections.The peacekeeping mission - one of the longest-running in the world and known as MINUSTAH - has been dogged by controversy, including the introduction of cholera to the island by UN troops that killed thousands of Haitians, as well as sexual abuse claims against them.

UN admits role in Haiti cholera outbreak

The 15-member Security Council acknowledged the completion of Haiti's presidential election, along with the inauguration of its new president, as a "major milestone towards stabilisation" in the Caribbean country."What we now need is a newly configured mission which is focused on the rule of law and human rights in Haiti," British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said."Peacekeepers do fantastic work but they are very expensive and they should be used only when needed," Rycroft said.The shutdown of the $346m mission, recommended by UN chief Antonio Guterres, comes as the United States looks to cut its funding of UN peacekeeping.The US is the largest contributor paying 28.5 percent of the total budget.Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna, reporting from the UN headquarters in New York, said the decision to downsise may be because of American pressure to save money."The US has been demanding that the UN become leaner and meaner in its operation, and has at times threatened to withhold some of the massive funding that it gives the organisation," Hanna said.There are 2,342 UN troops in Haiti, who will withdraw over the coming six months.The new mission will be established for an initial six months, from October 16, 2017 to April 15, 2018, and is projected to exit two years after its establishment. It will be a police force of about 1,000 personnel.

Haiti By Force - Fault Lines

UN peacekeepers were deployed to Haiti in 2004 when an uprising led to the ouster and exile of then-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. It is the only UN peacekeeping mission in the Americas.Haiti suffered a two-year political crisis until the recent election and inauguration of President Jovenel Moise. It has suffered major natural disasters, including an earthquake in 2010 and Hurricane Matthew last year.But the impoverished Caribbean country has not had an armed conflict in years.UN peacekeepers have been accused of sexual abuse and blamed for the cholera outbreak. Haiti was free of cholera until 2010, when peacekeepers dumped infected sewage into a river.The UN does not accept legal responsibility for the outbreak of the disease, which causes uncontrollable diarrhea. Some 9,300 people have died and more than 800,000 sickened.In late March, the council reduced the size of its peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, bringing the ceiling down from 19,815 troops to 16,215.Missions in Liberia and Ivory Coast are also set to end, while the joint UN-African Union peace operation in Sudan's Darfur region is also expected to be drawn down.http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/votes-haiti-peacekeeping-mission-october-170413162903710.html

Refrigeration in Haiti - Why do Haitians in Haiti simply hate leftover refrigerated food?

In America, Haitians in the Diaspora call leftover food "YESTERDAY" but in Haiti they call it "Manje Dòmi." Nobody wants to eat manje dòmi... I have a cousin who likes his water freezing cold but he will not eat any food if it spends one night in the refrigerator... Why is that so?"Manje a gen gou fwèt," (the food taste cold) he says with his funny smile, "li ban-m dòmi nan je" (it makes me sleepy)But wait... there is a Microwave in the house but NO WAY will he use that... "Bagay saa bay cancer," he says... LOL...Most Haitians households in Haiti cook every day... Every single day... and none of that food gets stored away for another day.To many Haitians, even those in the Diaspora, this is normal. BUT... an Italian-American man once told me that's what refrigeration is for..."Once upon a time in America, we had housewives," he said. "my these days are long gone. Thank God for refrigeration."What do you think about that?You think Haitian men in Haiti will ever get used to eating some "Yesterday?"