Local languages in education: the MIT-Haiti Initiative
- V. 19, N. 2 (2020)
- Submitted: Jun 26, 2020
- Published: Jul 28, 2020
- DOI 10.25189/rabralin.v19i2.1534
Abstract
In the midst of the strengthening of the Black Lives Matter movement, Professor Michel DeGraff relates the struggle for human rights and social justice in Linguistics. Presenting the MIT-Haiti Initiative, he shows a creative and exportable political-linguistic project. This project uses digital tools created in Haitian Creole to promote Haitian students' access to quality education. In Haiti, where the majority of the population speaks only Haitian Creole, this local language becomes an essential tool for education. Thus, the objective of the MIT-Haiti Initiative is to promote active learning in Haitian Creole. In this initiative, language and education become key vectors in the fight against social exclusion. Therefore, the lecturer shows that Linguistics is capable of making a practical contribution to equality of opportunities and sustainable development.
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