26072: Walton (Discuss) RE: 26021: JRigson: REPLY Books in Creole (fwd ) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: "Walton, Robert" <robert.walton3@us.army.mil>

RE: "I have been diligently searching for about 4 months and unless I am
greatly mistaken, the universe of Creole books is somewhat less than a
hundred titles - most published by Educa Vision www.educavision.com"


The problem of obtaining children's books in Creole is real. As a result
literacy in Creole will continue to suffer.  Translating commonly published
English- or French-language children's books into Creole likely violates
copyright and teaches nothing of Haitian cultural values, history or
folklore.  I believe a commercial venture is all but out of the question-
the market that needs the books cannot afford to pay for them.

Solution-

Recommend a University writing project.  Haitian folklore (oral tradition),
history, child-level morality tales, etc., could be desk-top published as
monographs and pamphlets, illustrated appropriately (hopefully by local
Haitian artists), duplicated on a copy machine and bound by staples.  (These
would placed in the public domain so copyright woud not be an issue.)  There
are "universal novels and readings" in the public domain that could also be
translated and republished inexpensively.

Anyone out there with  Haitian - university (School of Education)
connections?

V/R

Bob Walton