Immèrsyon kouri-vini: aprenn avèk mitoloji  
Kouri-Vini Immersion: Learn with Mythologies led by Clif St. Laurent

Capitol Park Museum and Chinbo, Inc., are pleased to offer a five-day immersion workshop conducted in Kouri-Vini (Louisiana Creole) in June 2024. “Immèrsyon kouri-vini: aprenn avèk mitoloji (Kouri-Vini Immersion: Learn with Mythologies)” is a free, weeklong workshop about Louisiana folklife, myths, art, and storytelling with presentations and workshops in and about Kouri-Vini. The Kouri-Vini Immersion program will be led by Louisiana Creole language activist, educator, professional entertainer, and former American Idol contestant, Clif St. Laurent. The program will culminate in a day-long tale-writing workshop, “Kont pou piti-yé: ékri dan kouri-vini (Tales for Kids: Write in Kouri-Vini),” led by writer, educator, and founder of Vilaj Bonjwa, Adrien Guillory-Chatman. 

“Learning your heritage languages is important,” says Lieutenant Governor Nungesser. “This unique immersion opportunity to learn through Kouri-Vini, the endangered Creole language of our state, provides our communities public space needed for continuing cultural practices.”

Schedule

Monday, June 3–Thursday, June 6
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Kouri-Vini Immersion led by Clif St. Laurent
12:30 p.m.–1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Workshops with culture bearers

Friday, June 7
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Tales for Kids Workshop with Adrien Guillory-Chatman
12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m. Group Lunch
1:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Participant Presentations

Language immersion is an educational technique in which two languages are used to teach a subject. Kouri-Vini Immersion will enhance the Mitoloji Latannyèr/Mythologies Louisianaises exhibition curated by Jonathan J. Mayers and on display at Capitol Park Museum, a Louisiana State Museum, until December 2024.

Registration

Registration opens on Monday, March 21, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. To register for the Kouri-Vini Immersion workshop, please complete this Google form: https://forms.gle/PWxU5h8g58CYAPSb9. The workshop is open to the first 20 applicants. If the registration limit has been reached, you will be added to the waitlist.

The Kouri-Vini Immersion workshop is open to learners aged 13+. Participants ages 13–17 must register with a *participating* parent or guardian (i.e. the parent or guardian will be participating in the immersion program). Parents and guardians must register separately. All participants must attend the workshop daily. Parents and guardians must be present with their minors at all times.

IMPORTANT: Registering for “Immèrsyon kouri-vini: aprenn avèk mitoloji (Kouri-Vini Immersion: Learn with Mythologies)” led by Clif St. Laurent, will automatically register you for “Kont pou piti-yé: ékri dan kouri-vini (Tales for Kids: Write in Kouri-Vini)” led by Adrien Guillory-Chatman. You do not need to register for her workshop separately.

This program is funded under a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this Kouri-Vini Immersion project do not necessarily represent those of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is also funded with support from the Louisiana Folklore Society, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Louisiana Division of the Arts, and the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

Chinbo, Inc., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the revitalization and reclamation of Kouri-Vini, the endangered Creole language of Louisiana. Led by educators, culture bearers, and creatives who are of Louisiana heritage, Chinbo, Inc., provides educational and learning resources to the Louisiana community and its diaspora. For more information about the organization, visit www.chinbo.org.