Kamp Kréyòl
É vouzòt!
Photo by Karla Ewing
At the beginning of June, we had an immersion camp done by Clif St. Laurent, Chinbo, and West Baton Rouge Museum. I had a really good time, and I want to share with y’all how it went. When I arrived there, I was really excited and nervous. I already kinda understand Creole since I speak Louisiana French and I join a lot of Clif and Taalib’s TikTok lives, but I believed an entire week in the language would help me with speaking it. And I was correct. Either you’re a beginner or advanced and everything he teaches is a review for you, I want to tell you - it’s worth it.
First, we must talk about Clif and how he’s an amazing teacher. He has a lot of energy: he sings, he dances, and jokes around. He does everything amazingly due to his personality. He speaks in a way where almost anyone can understand him, even the beginners. If they don’t understand him, he works slowly with them to help them.
Every day, we started with the same few songs, and then we had a lesson for the day. Songs were played with drums, and Clif and his friend Kalindah, or Larènn, sung together. The music was really good, and it woke up everyone to be ready to learn. When the lesson was finished, we played some games or we had some activities in order to use what we learned, and later, after lunch we had a presentation! The presentation was incredible. Every one was memorable and they were full of everything to learn about our culture and language.
After five days, I found myself more relaxed when I speak Creole, and I want to use the language even more. I found myself thinking in Creole and it was easier to speak it. I feel more connected with the Creole community, culture, music, and language. I made some friends. I had a REALLY good time. All of that, and Kamp Kréyòl is free. It’s really something special. If you want to start to learn the language, connect with the community and the culture, do it the next time!
Logan Delafosse
Logan Delafosse is a dad, husband, brother, and Cajun-Creole from Opelousas. When he was younger, his family spoke Louisiana French, but he never learned French until 2024. He wants to promote the languages of Louisiana, so he’s learning Creole now to become an ally to his Creole brothers and sisters and fight for the languages our families spoke.
