A common concern for immigrant parents raising children in a new country is how to keep their children connected to their cultural heritage despite the distance. For Haitian families, this challenge is particularly poignant. Violence and political instability often prevent Haitian immigrants from visiting their homeland, making it difficult to introduce their children to the rich culture and traditions of Haiti firsthand.
But don’t despair. Here’s a list for all the Haitian moms, aunties and caregivers searching for ways to preserve the culture and pass it on to their children. Consider this my gift to all of you on this Haitian Mother’s Day.
I’ve found these resources to be especially helpful in passing on Haitian culture to my 6 and 10-year-old boys. If there’s something out there that’s worked for you, please share. I’m always on the lookout for age-appropriate content and experiences to bring out at the right time.
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Books & Folktales
Bedtime stories are the best. I loved them when they were told to me sitting around the moonlight as “Krik, Krak” tales that made me imagine the scenes and dialogue in my own mind. I highly recommend continuing that tradition by adding Haitian, Caribbean and African children’s books next to Grimm’s anthologies on their little shelves! Here are two of my favorites.
When Night Falls, Kric! Krac!: Haitian Folktales
By Liliane Nerette Louis, edited by Fred J. Hay
This collection of stories features tales that are funny, dark, light and heavy — all at the same time. Even as an adult, you might wonder “what the what.” But that’s the beauty of Haiti’s call-and-response nightly tales, often spiced with the storyteller’s own imagination and morality points. Neither them nor the book shies away from accounts that make kids think and get creative!
By Karen Lynn Williams, illustrated by Catherine Stock
My 6-year-old especially loved this delightful tale of a little girl going to and from the city to sell provisions with her mom.
Food
A Taste of Haiti
By Mirta Yurnet-Thomas & The Thomas Family
If you can’t cook like your mom or grandma, like some of us less culinarily-gifted, and you also don’t have time to go to their house to record how they cook up, grab this oldie-but-goodie Haitian recipes book. It saves you time looking up recipes online.
Music & dance
They know how to ask Alexa for everything, so just start telling the bot to “play Konpa music” if you have an Amazon Prime membership. There’s no better way to expose them to the many cadences and chords of not just Konpa music, but also rasin, twoubadou, and even zouk, soca and soukous. Before you know it, you’ll all be having Haitian dance parties with DJ Alexa.
My kids loved watching others their age perform amazing (and agile!) steps in colorful costumes. They said the F.O.R. Kids dance and drum performance was the best part of last year’s Banboch Kreyol. So see if there are similar troupes in your neck of the woods, or catch their performances on YouTube or social.
Digital/virtual support
As with most of the internet, digital tools are somehow both too much and not enough at the same time. For our children, whose screen time duration and exposure to online platforms we have to monitor, we have apps and YouTube channels galore, with pros and cons for each. Right now, there’s only one app I’m comfortable recommending for little ones.
Download the app for your little one to learn at their own pace. My 10-year-old has been on it for nearly two years. Between the Kreyol, French and Latin courses he’s studying, he’s now able to eavesdrop on grown-folk conversations in Kreyol and Krenglish he’s not supposed to be understanding.
Cultural connections IRL aka events
Speaking of which, events like Banboch Kreyol and the Little Haiti Book Fair are a great way for kids to see more Haitians and feel part of the community. Such real life connections stick with them most vividly. So take them early and often, while they still love to hang out with you.
Haitian Times community calendar
Making the rounds at events like the West Indian Labor Day Parade & Carnival or shows like Miami Festival is a rite of passage for kids in NYC and Miami. But what to do if you don’t live in these enclaves? Bookmark the THT community calendar, updated weekly with opportunities to connect with Haitians in your area – from Boston to Butte.
Other suggestions to try
I have not tried these yet and can’t vouch, but they’re on my list of resources to check out. Try them yourself and report back!
Haitian Creole Language Institute
Based in NYC, HCLI offers culturally proficient programming with the Diaspora as its primary learning audience.
Ti Atis by Haiti Cultural Exchange
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum offered this for the first time in 2023. Will keep an eye out for it next year. In the meantime, will check out its featured artists since they too have their own shows periodically.
Have a resource or suggestion? Add it in the comments or email macollvie@haitiantimes.com..
When Haiti is NO LONGER AN OPTION ?? You probably know something that we don’t know ?