[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.90,0:00:03.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This message is dedicated to my fellow\NFrancophiles
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.56,0:00:08.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who get alarmed or even offended at the\Nthought of eliminating French
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.63,0:00:12.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as one of the official languages of the\NRepublic of Haiti.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.66,0:00:15.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I am speaking today as a Haitian who is
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.98,0:00:18.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,truly madly in love with the French\Nlanguage.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.48,0:00:24.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I confess that my fascination and my respect for not only\Nthe richness
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.30,0:01:17.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the language but equally for those who\Nmaster it without boundaries.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,However, these days, I reject the French\Nlanguage.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I look down on it as much as some of my\Nfellow Haitians
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,look down on the Creole language.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Therefore, I have a lot of trouble expressing\Nmyself in French.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some may even say that I'm losing my\NFrench.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think it is sad how Haitians always think\Nthey are able to lose something
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that in no way and at no point in time\Nbelonged to them.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I say all that and still today I'm pushing to\Ndeliver this message in French.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's because I'm addressing those of us who\Nwould have a hard time
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,taking me seriously if I had chosen to\Nshare my ideas in my native language.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want you to understand the damage you\Nare causing to your country,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be fully concious of this damage and I\Nhope I'll manage to do that, in French.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What I observed especially from the\NHaitians living in Haiti is that
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,French isn't a tool for communication that\Nfacilitates and allows the exchange of ideas,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the passing of customs and culture or the\Nexpression of convictions.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On the contrary, this languages diminishes the most\Nremarkable and precious aspects
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the human experience from us, which is\Nconversation.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,French has become nothing more than one\Nmore way
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to segregate the Haitian population.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To be able to tell from the get-go who\Ndeserves your good manners
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and who you will snub, who you will barter\Nwith, and who you will charge double.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it really doesn't help us to communicate properly.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've also witnessed the mistreatment\NHaitians receive in Haiti
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,simply because they cannot speak\NFrench; a colonial language,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a language that we don't even teach to\Nmost of our people,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a language that is so foreign to us,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a language that despite the fact that it\Nhas dominated our educational system
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for over two centuries is still lost among\Nour people who are far from mastering it.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that is rather deplorable.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember well that in Haiti, \NFrench was reserved for the formalities of meeting for the first time.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was the initial move to \Naffirm one's social class.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And to identify at which level a relationship \Ncould evolve between two people
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it was not a language that\Nwas used in familiar settings
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or with those that we were close with
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is a very restricted group of\Npeople in Haiti who insist on
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,always speaking the French language,\Nbut we consider those people to be
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pretentious and full of it
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and often, their conversations remain\Nvery superficial
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and because of that, they struggle\Nto maintain relationships with people
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,outside of that very restricted circle.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So to say that French is an official language of the Haitians would be a huge exaggeration.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What I can tell you is,\Nthe percentage of Haitians that are able
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to easily and clearly express themselves\Nin french is probably less than those
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who can fluently speak German or Mandarin.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Of course, there are Haitians in the\Nfrench diaspora like in France and Canada
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They speak french because that is the\Nlanguage they speak in those countries.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's like me, I speak English and English\Nhas become my first language
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because I am obligated to speak well in\NEnglish in the United States.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But to say that Haitians speak French,\Nagain, is completely false.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What also happens in Haiti, is\Nthat we substitute someone's ability
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to read a few phrases in French with their\Nintelligence or wisdom.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We attribute the ability to get by in \NFrench as wisdom
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and now there are a lot of Haitians who\Nfall into this trap because they
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,kill themselves trying to learn French and\Nimitate the "elite" pretentious
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,francophones of Haiti.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they completely lose because\Nnot only, are they not able to acquire
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the french language, but they're not fully\Nable to develop Creole which is their
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,native language.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what happens is we end up with a\Npopulation that is not able to properly
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,express themselves.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And Creole loses in its vocabulary and\Nis constantly blocked by a stigma of
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,inferiority.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it's quite a bummer.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you have the intention to not agree\Nwith what I'm saying, consider
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that to truly acquire a language,\Nyou need to really learn it in advanced
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,classes, or even further in college\Nto really be able to manipulate a language
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,enough to be able to fully express your\Nideas and to be understood.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In Haiti, the majority of students do not make\Nit past elementary courses.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And even if we obtain a High School\NDiploma in Haiti, it's not a very
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,robust diploma.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So the ability of Haitians to really\Nexpress themselves in this forced language
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,becomes very minimized.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what I want to tell you and leave\Nyou all with this message is,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,think about communicating, think about\Nsharing your ideas.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What you say is far more important than\Nthe language you are using.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We have to remind ourselves that\Neach time we talk to someone in Haiti
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or another Haitian, we really need to think\Nabout how what we say is what we say is
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what's really important.