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Reading Time 4 mins
July 19, 2021
Kreyol Version
I am not sure if I ever read a book in Creole/Kreyol while growing up in Haiti in the 1970s. All the books that I read were in French. Kreyol was a language spoken in the markets and the streets or during a football game. In Haiti, people viewed those who spoke French as “well educated.” The ones speaking Kreyol were considered “uneducated.”
I learned to speak Creole at home and in my neighborhood. Then, in what seemed like the good old days, children would gather to play and listen to stories told in Kreyol under the mango tree when the moon was bright. I used to love it, of course.
When I left Haiti in the early 1980s, I wasn’t aware of Kreyol being taught in schools as a language because some Haitians do not appreciate their culture and would rather speak the language forced on them by the French colonizers. That’s why it’s encouraging to hear that there is a growing movement in the country in the last few years to promote the teaching of Kreyol. The Haitian Creole Academy, whose goal is “to raise people’s awareness of the need to value their mother tongue,” leads the effort.
I welcomed Olympic Hero: Lennox Kilgour’s Story because of these recent efforts to use the Kreyol language in schools. This picture book appeals to children of all cultures, especially using sports and weightlifting to tell a story. In addition, this inspirational work helps in the effort to bring Kreyol into the classroom by providing an age-appropriate reading for the young.
I would like to see more books from the English-speaking Caribbean,
including ones in their “nation language,” translated into Kreyol and vice versa.
Olympic Hero was written in English and translated into Kreyol by Sony Ton Aime. The author, Dr. Joanne Kilgour Dowdy, who taught literacy studies and research methods at Kent State University, tells a moving story of a young weightlifter, Lennox Kilgour, from Trinidad and Tobago. The athlete overcomes many obstacles with the help of his community, family, friends, and coaches to win a bronze medal at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland.
Joanne Kilgour Dowdy’s photo autobiography, 2009.
Dillon Seda illustrated the book beautifully, and it is an easy read in Kreyol and English. The young reader learns about Lennox Kilgour’s challenges and fierce determination to succeed and the difficulties of traveling by boat to compete worldwide. Highlighting the challenges, the author writes:
Row, Row
and travel
by boat
from Trinidad
to Canada.
Water, water
everywhere
as waves rushed
through the portholes
and wet the athletes
in their bunks.
The writing is highly visual and is easily accessible to young readers while imparting important life lessons. These teachings come though clearly and powerfully in the style and presentation of the narrative,
And then
seasick and
unsteady on
their legs
at last
they landed in Quebec.
I appreciate the book because the author made us realize how much Kilgour believed in himself. And, because of his self-confidence and steadfast devotion to his goal, he was empowered and eventually becomes a champion weightlifter. The story kept me on the edge of my seat as I was constantly wondering if he would succeed, given all the difficulties that he had to endure. In short deft, poetic, lines the author conveys the struggles of Gour’s life–
Gour kept
working
at his form…
No quitting
at 17 years
not for Gour
not with
his mentors
always
pushing
cheering
smiling so
he would
shine
shine
shine.
Video: Courtesy Kayla McCullough K Photography, Ltd.
And shine he did! One of my favorite parts was when young Kilgour won his Olympic bronze medal. He was so happy as he thanked his coach and those who supported him. One of the powerful messages that run through the text is that one should be gracious to those who make success possible.
Mr. Kilgour felt strong because weightlifting gave him the drive not to quit with his mentor’s encouragement. Also, this sport offers health benefits that are essential to the body and mind. I found myself empathizing with Mr. Kilgour while reading the book. It is a true story about the author’s father, Lennox Kilgour, that would motivate and inspire young athletes in all sports.
This book is most appropriate for young children of any culture. Children like laughter and enjoy seeing “muscles and flying airplanes.” As a child, I looked up at the sky, searching for airplanes thinking that it would be my turn to fly one day. Capturing the journey to Helsinki, the author writes;
Gour said
It was
a
dream.
He was
flying.
Indeed, the book transmits qualities that motivate and inspire children, especially when read with parents.
I commend the author and the translator for making this book available in Kreyol. I am awaiting more stories and books about forgotten and neglected heroes of our shared Caribbean and African culture. I would like to see more books from the English-speaking Caribbean, including ones in their “nation language,” translated into Kreyol and vice versa. It will encourage students to read more and foster closer connections within the region by encouraging youth to value “their mother tongue” while shining a light on our forgotten heroes.
Click here to order Olympic Hero and for more books by the author.
Ketlie Camille, a registered nurse, is a nurse educator at a Brooklyn, NY, Hospital and volunteers at a community-based organization preparing Home Health Aides for certification.