The Folk Research Centre is putting the nation’s command of Kweyol to the test with the launch of its inaugural Kweyol Spelling Competition, an initiative aimed at strengthening appreciation for the Creole language in both its written and spoken forms.
Organisers say the competition is more than a showcase of spelling ability. It is part of a broader effort to build momentum towards having Kweyol formally recognised as an official language.
Acting Executive Director of the FRC, Melchoir Henry, explained the motivation behind the initiative.
“In our quest to gain recognition as an official language, although there’s been a lot of progress, we are yet to have it designated as an official language,” Henry said. “So we believe that the more momentum we build, the more people we get to use and gain an appreciation of the language, it will help in our cause to make it an official language.”
The competition is open to a wide cross-section of participants.
“The competition is open to schools, primary and secondary schools, and also to the public sector,” Henry noted. “We have groups which can compete and we have a competition for individuals.”
Competition Coordinator Lyndian Alexander outlined the registration process and entry requirements.
“There’s an entry fee for the public, ten dollars, which is nothing compared to what you’re going to get. And as a team, you each pay your ten dollars, which is thirty dollars,” she explained.
Organisers are mindful of the participation of young students and have structured the event accordingly.
“The competition is going to start. We want to start early. It starts in the morning at 9, 9.30, because we have to bear in mind that there are children, there are school children, primary school children, who need to get back home to the communities outside of Castries,” Alexander said. “So we’re starting at that time, and we should be finished by 1.30.”
A panel of judges will assess participants’ performances.
“We’ll have a panel of judges or markers who will judge the errors and so on,” she added.
Alexander detailed the format of the contest.
“Now, how do we judge this competition? It’s taking place on two levels, first of all. Two levels, a spelling competition, where you have a list of words, about 15 words to spell. They’ll be called out. And you have 30 seconds to consult with your team for the word. You write the word. And each word is numbered.”
Beyond competition, organisers hope the event deepens public understanding of the structure and nuances of Kweyol.
“The whole competition is to get people to be more language aware. Aware of the language and the intricacies of the Creole language,” Alexander said. “And it’s in writing, when we start writing the Creole language, that we get to know a little more about our language. We speak something all the time and we don’t know why we say certain things. And we don’t know the breakdown.”
Henry encouraged interested participants to register through available channels.
“Members of the public, individuals and the groups, you can do one of two things. You can call FRC to register or you can go online. You can access our social media platforms, our website, it’s under News General and you will see the forms there for registration of individuals and teams, groups,” he said.
With the inaugural Kweyol Spelling Competition, the FRC hopes to ignite a deeper national pride in the Creole language and advance its campaign for official recognition.