0:00:02.452,0:00:04.682 Hi guys. 0:00:04.682,0:00:05.872 (sigh) 0:00:05.872,0:00:10.462 This is a response to my video "Les [br]consequences du Francais en Haiti" 0:00:10.462,0:00:14.562 which I did it in French talking about the[br]consequences of French in Haiti. 0:00:15.231,0:00:19.743 I published this in April and I have the [br]link to it up here and down there 0:00:19.743,0:00:21.633 in my description box. 0:00:21.633,0:00:25.633 I got some really strong reactions to [br]that post and it seems like I really hit a 0:00:25.633,0:00:32.503 nerve for some people so I'm dedicating[br]this week's message to response and debunk 0:00:32.503,0:00:35.603 the prevalent counter arguments I received 0:00:35.603,0:00:38.173 Here are the main points I made [br]in that video: 0:00:38.173,0:00:42.173 "French hinders comunication in [br]self-expression among Haitians 0:00:42.173,0:00:46.173 It divides the Haitian population and[br]fosters an inferiority complex for the 0:00:46.173,0:00:48.499 majority of the population. 0:00:48.499,0:00:54.039 Haitions sustitute someone's ability to [br]muster a few words in French for wisdom or 0:00:54.039,0:01:00.019 intelligence.Haitions fail to realize that[br]what they are seeing is more important 0:01:00.019,0:01:02.745 than the language they used to say in. 0:01:02.745,0:01:06.745 And lastly, Haitians by and large cannot [br]speak French. 0:01:06.745,0:01:11.515 These are fairly common and well-known[br]issues I presented to support my proposal 0:01:11.515,0:01:15.515 of eliminating French as one of the two[br]official languages of Haiti. 0:01:15.515,0:01:19.515 But many didn't want to hear it and here [br]are some of the responses that I want to 0:01:19.515,0:01:20.289 address. 0:01:20.289,0:01:24.289 The first one is that the problem of Haiti[br]is one of education not of language. 0:01:24.289,0:01:26.729 Here is my issue with that point. 0:01:26.729,0:01:30.729 Everyone knows that the state of education[br]in Haiti is dire, that has always been the 0:01:30.729,0:01:34.609 case in Haiti but have you stopped to [br]think that language is the basis of 0:01:34.609,0:01:38.609 learning and education, so if you are [br]attempting to teach in a language that is 0:01:38.609,0:01:42.609 cumbersome, unnatural and foreign to kids[br]then you keep them at a disadvantage. 0:01:42.609,0:01:46.609 The medium that allows you to communicate[br]the knowledge you are attempting to pass 0:01:46.609,0:01:48.479 on is extremely relevant. 0:01:48.479,0:01:52.289 My experience as a student in Haiti was[br]that many of my teachers were not fluent 0:01:52.289,0:01:53.630 in French, far from. 0:01:53.630,0:01:58.360 So yes, there is an educational crisis in[br]Haiti and this isn't breaking news to 0:01:58.360,0:02:03.030 anyone. But the fact that we are insisting[br]on sticking to French as the academic 0:02:03.030,0:02:04.806 language is to our own detriment. 0:02:04.806,0:02:10.166 It is pedagogically impractical and [br]frankly at this point pretty irresponsible 0:02:10.166,0:02:14.166 The other thing people say that kind of [br]goes along with the lack of education 0:02:14.166,0:02:18.166 argument is that well, we shouldn't just [br]limit our kids to Creole we should teach 0:02:18.166,0:02:22.166 them French, Spanish, German, Italian, [br]everything. 0:02:22.170,0:02:26.620 Ok, well, do I want our kids to learn [br]multiple languages? 0:02:26.620,0:02:28.160 Of course. 0:02:28.160,0:02:32.160 I would like every little Haitian out [br]there to know as many languages as the 0:02:32.160,0:02:36.640 human brain can retain and my argument has[br]never been to eradicate French from 0:02:36.640,0:02:41.710 Haitian schools but rather to repeal its[br]status as an official language of the 0:02:41.710,0:02:46.820 republic of Haiti and instead prioritize [br]Creole which is the language that every 0:02:46.820,0:02:48.180 last Haitian speaks. 0:02:48.180,0:02:50.700 Luxembourg has 3 official languages. 0:02:50.700,0:02:54.700 One of them I'm sure most of people have [br]never heard of, it's called Luxembourgish 0:02:54.700,0:02:58.700 and it is the language that is indigenous[br]to its people, the language of the heart 0:02:58.700,0:03:00.630 for them so to speak. 0:03:00.916,0:03:04.916 Even though, not many people outside of [br]Luxembourg use it, that is the language 0:03:04.916,0:03:09.604 that kids are taught in the first year of [br]primary school before switching to German 0:03:09.604,0:03:11.124 and then French. 0:03:11.346,0:03:15.346 And proficiency and all three of their[br]official languages is required for 0:03:15.346,0:03:17.204 graduation from secondary school. 0:03:17.204,0:03:19.854 Now as you can see they are somehow able [br]to pull off a 0:03:19.854,0:03:23.854 trilingual educational system to go along[br]with the fact that they have 3 offical 0:03:23.854,0:03:28.483 languages meaning their important [br]legislature, and official national affairs 0:03:28.483,0:03:31.453 are recorded and reported steadily in all[br]3 of these languages, 0:03:31.453,0:03:33.347 even the one that we've never heard of. 0:03:33.347,0:03:35.357 What's the point of this little sidebar? 0:03:35.357,0:03:37.987 Well, it isn't a sidebar at all. 0:03:37.987,0:03:41.987 It is to answer to the people who would[br]rather say: let's just teach our Haitian 0:03:41.987,0:03:45.987 kids every language on the planet instead [br]of focusing on teaching them in their 0:03:45.987,0:03:48.037 primary language, Creole. 0:03:48.037,0:03:54.057 A language that is said to be official in[br]our country yet all the important business 0:03:54.057,0:03:58.057 political, professional and administrative[br]dealings are not recorded or reported 0:03:58.057,0:03:59.037 in Creole. 0:03:59.037,0:04:03.037 Over the years, when nationally elected[br]officials address the population, 0:04:03.037,0:04:07.037 they deliver speeches in French and all [br]while everyone knows that Creole 0:04:07.037,0:04:08.884 is the language. 0:04:08.884,0:04:13.954 Creole is constitutionally one of our [br]official languages but that's only 0:04:13.954,0:04:17.954 "a L'oral" like people say, meaning it's [br]only something we say. 0:04:18.018,0:04:21.098 Have we even tried to apply it in that[br]capacity? 0:04:21.098,0:04:27.108 Have we even tried before we start crying[br]how it is unsustainable as a global means 0:04:27.108,0:04:29.248 of communication for our children? 0:04:29.248,0:04:33.538 What kills me is that these people [br]objecting so passionately against the 0:04:33.538,0:04:38.822 removal of French are the first to boast [br]that we defeated French in 1804 0:04:38.822,0:04:42.822 and that's the one thing from which they[br]derive Haitian pride, yet they don't 0:04:42.822,0:04:45.799 realize that they are perpetuating [br]oppression, 0:04:45.799,0:04:51.049 holding stubbornly onto the language and [br]the ways of the French at the expense of 0:04:51.049,0:04:52.169 their own culture. 0:04:52.169,0:04:56.169 For those of you telling me that back in[br]the days, you and your friends used to 0:04:56.169,0:05:00.069 speak French, that's like me say every [br]Haitian speaks English because my friends 0:05:00.069,0:05:00.802 and I speak it. 0:05:00.802,0:05:02.572 That doesn't mean anything. 0:05:02.572,0:05:06.572 If you look at the data, education has [br]always been a privilege reserved for the 0:05:06.572,0:05:10.572 very few in Haiti and only the educated[br]can manage to speak a little French in 0:05:10.572,0:05:11.522 Haiti ergo. 0:05:11.522,0:05:15.522 Certain people's experiences back in the [br]day when things were a little bit better 0:05:15.522,0:05:18.972 for some doesn't demonstrate that at some[br]point French worked in Haiti. 0:05:18.972,0:05:20.878 It never did and never will. 0:05:20.878,0:05:26.058 Now, the other argument I got quite a bit [br]is that we can't get rid of French 0:05:26.058,0:05:30.058 because we need something to keep us [br]connected to the rest of the world and 0:05:30.058,0:05:33.788 people were also saying that having a [br]Creole take-over 0:05:33.788,0:05:37.448 now would set us back because we would [br]have to start from scratch 0:05:37.448,0:05:40.138 since Creole is such an unformulated[br]language. 0:05:40.715,0:05:45.339 Ok, first of all, I hate to break it to [br]you but the world has left Haiti behind 0:05:45.339,0:05:49.957 a long time ago, and it's not just because[br]our people don't speak French, 0:05:49.957,0:05:53.957 it's because we have not invested or[br]educated our people. 0:05:53.957,0:05:57.957 Speaking French is not what's going to get[br]connected or keep us connected to the 0:05:57.957,0:06:01.957 world because we don't need French to[br]facilitate international exchanges 0:06:01.957,0:06:05.957 and to implement French as a language of[br]the Haitian people would require the same 0:06:05.957,0:06:09.957 effort as to implement any other language[br]outside of Creole. 0:06:09.957,0:06:11.847 With Creole we have an advantage, 0:06:11.847,0:06:14.288 that's our mother tongue, we already [br]speak it. 0:06:14.288,0:06:16.419 We have to make the distinction: 0:06:16.419,0:06:20.419 To teach French is not the same as [br]educating our people. 0:06:20.419,0:06:24.649 Here in the USA, everyone speaks the same[br]language, yet you will see that an 0:06:24.649,0:06:28.649 uneducated person cannot articulate or[br]express themselves. 0:06:28.649,0:06:32.649 The reason why our Creole-speaking masses[br]sound uneducated oftentimes 0:06:32.649,0:06:37.244 is because they are uneducated,not because[br]they are speaking Creole. 0:06:37.244,0:06:42.484 However, French can make a smart and [br]educated Haitian sound stupid 0:06:42.484,0:06:46.484 And a stupid Haitian who can remember [br]their French vocab and grammar rules is 0:06:46.484,0:06:52.276 oftentimes reveal and considered smart,no[br]matter how dimwitted they might be. 0:06:52.276,0:06:54.834 There is something really wrong with this[br]picture. 0:06:54.834,0:07:00.067 I was lucky enough to listen to Maurice[br]Sixto at a young age and discovered how 0:07:00.067,0:07:05.767 he was able to claim such profound, [br]culturally relevant,poetic and educational 0:07:05.767,0:07:07.257 stories in Creole. 0:07:07.834,0:07:11.834 He was well spoken and most importantly[br]Haitians could understand and truly 0:07:11.834,0:07:15.834 connect with the deeper meaning of what[br]he was sharing. 0:07:15.834,0:07:20.245 Back then, he wielded the Creole language,[br]which some attempt to devoid of all 0:07:20.245,0:07:24.306 virtues, brilliantly, because he was [br]educated. 0:07:24.306,0:07:29.326 He was able to use his imagination and[br]talent to enrich the language. 0:07:29.326,0:07:33.326 Had there been more of an encouragement[br]for self-expression in Creole and Haiti 0:07:33.326,0:07:37.456 and respect for the language, no doubt, it[br]would be at a more refined stage today. 0:07:37.456,0:07:42.576 That's what happened when something is [br]yours, when you care about something, 0:07:42.576,0:07:44.097 you work at it. 0:07:44.097,0:07:45.777 That's your responsibility. 0:07:45.777,0:07:49.777 You don't just sit and say it will never [br]work because the languages that are so 0:07:49.777,0:07:53.097 sophisticated today weren't always that[br]way; 0:07:53.097,0:07:56.477 people developed them, people made them[br]great. 0:07:56.477,0:08:00.397 They didn't just sit and say let's adopt[br]another language that's already developed 0:08:00.397,0:08:02.836 to help us assimilate and sound educated. 0:08:02.836,0:08:06.836 That being said, I appreciate that fact [br]that we need to equip our children with 0:08:06.836,0:08:09.126 the tools to compete on a global level 0:08:09.126,0:08:10.926 and that includes language skills 0:08:10.926,0:08:14.616 but that doesn't preclude us from [br]strengthening and valuing our own language 0:08:14.616,0:08:18.616 in our own country and taking advantage of[br]it to educate our children. 0:08:18.616,0:08:22.616 Keeping that in mind, if I had to choose [br]the second mandatory language for the 0:08:22.616,0:08:26.616 education in Haiti, for our kids to know [br]inside and out, it would definitely not 0:08:26.616,0:08:28.816 be French because in today's world, 0:08:28.816,0:08:31.186 French is struggling to remain revelant. 0:08:31.186,0:08:34.996 That has been the trend for some time now,[br]you can check out the links to a few 0:08:34.996,0:08:38.356 articles I posted to support that [br]statement in the description box. 0:08:38.356,0:08:42.356 Listen my Haitian people, generally [br]speaking, we don't speak French, 0:08:42.356,0:08:45.536 me included, and here are the reasons why. 0:08:45.536,0:08:49.536 Speaking a language is not about knowing[br]some of the grammar or being able to read 0:08:49.536,0:08:51.607 and write or understand it. 0:08:51.607,0:08:55.607 It's about living the language, hearing it[br]and feeling it. 0:08:55.607,0:08:59.607 I know some kids who were tragically[br]forbidden by their parents in Haiti to 0:08:59.607,0:09:03.607 utter of a word of Creole growing up in [br]Haiti, 0:09:03.607,0:09:08.777 yet they still didn't speak French what [br]they did was essentially translate Creole 0:09:08.777,0:09:12.137 phrases into French like for example 0:09:12.137,0:09:16.137 "envoie les yeux pour moi s'il te plait"[br](true story) 0:09:16.137,0:09:20.137 Now, is it grammatically correct, sure,[br]is it French? 0:09:20.770,0:09:23.100 I'll leave that up to you to decide. 0:09:23.183,0:09:27.733 Of course you can interact very well with [br]a native French speaker but communicating 0:09:27.733,0:09:31.733 successfully to another Haitian in French[br]is much harder. 0:09:31.733,0:09:37.613 Short of constantly immersing ourselves in[br]French in the French culture through up to 0:09:37.613,0:09:41.133 date literature, cinema, or other creative[br]work, 0:09:41.133,0:09:44.183 we really cannot keep up with the language 0:09:44.183,0:09:49.018 So yeah, we don't speak French and it's ok[br]it's not the end of the world. 0:09:49.018,0:09:53.018 What's not ok is people, my people, not 0:09:53.018,0:09:57.879 capable of rationally debating a critical [br]issues in our Haitian society. 0:09:57.879,0:10:01.879 People who will tell me "well why aren't[br]you speaking Creole?" 0:10:01.879,0:10:05.879 meanwhile their kids probably don't speak[br]a lick of Creole let alone the French that 0:10:05.879,0:10:09.019 they are so loudly and mindlessly [br]defending, 0:10:09.019,0:10:11.772 people who are blinded by their bias. 0:10:12.070,0:10:14.820 I said it in my other video and I'll [br]repeat it now. 0:10:14.820,0:10:16.429 I love the French language. 0:10:16.429,0:10:19.359 My favourite recording artist this season[br]is actually Belgian. 0:10:19.359,0:10:23.359 I am so grateful that I was afforded the[br]opportunity to learn French. 0:10:23.359,0:10:25.999 Many Haitians don't get that opportunity. 0:10:25.999,0:10:30.591 And I will pass on as much appreciation[br]for French to my kids as I can because the 0:10:30.591,0:10:35.961 issue is not and has never been the[br]language; the issue is the many Haitian 0:10:35.961,0:10:39.280 people who simply refuse to wake up. 0:10:41.044,0:10:47.484 Once again, my name is Marli, I am a Haiti[br]hope ambassador and Wake up Haitians, 0:10:47.484,0:10:51.484 seriously.