Creole Language Meetups
Host: Cliford JOHNSON
Location: La Madeleine’s Bakery ¤ Café ¤ Bistro
Bâton-Rouge, Lwizyan
When: Bi-monthly
Contact: cliford.johnson@yahoo.com
Rendévou Kréyol (Creole Time)
Host: Angélique BERGERON-GARDNER
Location: Father Joseph Conway Rodney Community Centre
Next to St. Augustine’s
Chemin-Nèf (New Roads), Pointe-Coupée
When: Monday evenings at 6pm
Contact: egardn3@lsu.edu
Festivals Acadiens et Créoles
Location: Lafayet, Lwizyan
When: 10-12 Octob 2008
Website: www.festivalsacadiens.com
February 24, 2009 at 9:19 pm
I would love to see someone offer classes on Cajun French here in the Shreveport area. I have checked several times to see if LSUS offer a leisure course and have not seen it listed.
If someone knows of a Cajun French resource or class available in the Shreveport area, please email me @
ejgb216@hotmail.com
and put CAJUN FRENCH on the subject line. I would appreciate any information or suggestions you may have.
Merci beaucoup.
October 13, 2009 at 12:22 pm
My maiden name is “Metoyer.” I would love to purchase Cd’s or Dvd’s to learn the language. Any plans to do this soon?
October 23, 2009 at 8:35 pm
This site is so important.
My father was born in Leonville, outside Opelousas. Even though my grandparents moved to a town near Houston where most adults spoke “French,” the adults did not teach their children the language. The mothers and fathers from Louisiana wanted their children to be “educated.” Educated meant speaking English… only. Unfortunately, the assimilation that was necessary, even required, for approval from teachers, hastened the decline of my grandparents secret language. MawMaw and PawPaw, along with so many mothers and fathers in this community, only spoke Creole when they didn’t want the children to know what they were talking about. To their credit, these parents did ensure a bright future for their kids. Many of the children my dad grew up with completed undergraduate and graduate programs, becoming a part of the 1960’s “first Black to…” crowd that enjoyed the professional success their parents only dreamed of. However, our language was nearly lost. Only greeting card phrases remained, and my generation never knew more than, “Yeah, sha. Ca c’est bon!”
So, I have a plan. I believe there are mothers all around me with a plan of their own, as well. My daughter thinks SHE chose French as her middle school language. If all goes well, she’ll also think it’s her idea to learn Creole in a few years. I hope, some day, she can tell me the stories behind those zydeco songs I danced to at weddings when I was young.