Kreyòl Gade, Kreyòl Konprann: A Multilingual Catalog of Haitian Cinema
Two graduate instructors searching for Haitian-directed films to use in Kreyòl classes found that even the large Haiti collections at Chapel Hill and Duke catalogue such films vaguely as "French Creole," erasing Haitian Kreyòl and flattening distinct Creole languages into one. Drawing on Michel DeGraff's critique of Creole exceptionalism, and on the thin existing criticism by Arnold Antonin and Cécile Accilien, the authors describe building a free website that lists films by Haitian directors with synopses, language, and where to watch them, plus a blog, a bibliography, and an open invitation to contribute. Design choices carry the argument. The site was written first in Kreyòl and proofread by a consultant, then translated by hand into French, Spanish, and English rather than by machine, and kept deliberately light, without video or heavy images, so that it loads on slow Caribbean connections. Closing pages set out plans for funding, a private domain, and accessibility for readers with impaired vision.
Coogan, M. J., & Vargas Zuleta, L. (2023). Kreyòl Gade, Kreyòl Konprann: A Multilingual Catalog of Haitian Cinema. Journal of Haitian Studies, 29(2), 134-140.