Creole French

Creole French is more than just a language—it is a living history of Louisiana’s Creole communities. At Maison Freetown, a small cultural center in Lafayette, the language and traditions of Creole people are being preserved through music, conversation, and community gatherings.

a place rooted in creole french history

Maison Freetown sits in a historically significant part of Lafayette known as Freetown. “Freetown is a community. It was basically where free people of color of this area kind of migrated because it was the backside of what was the sugarcane plantation,” explains Erica Fox. Fox is a musician, artist, and co-founder of Maison Freetown Cultural Center.

Fox and her team are dedicated to preserving the sometimes-overlooked contributions of Creole people to the region’s development. “We want to share and highlight those contributions of people that at certain times in our history did not get recognized or acknowledged for their contributions to the development of this city,” she says.

saving Kouri vini – the creole french language

One of the center’s most important efforts is preserving Kouri Vini, the Creole French dialect. A mix of West African, French, and Native American dialects, the language has become endangered as fewer people grow up speaking it. “They get to celebrate, you know, that conversation that they heard in their household,” Fox says of the Creole French Tables, where people gather to speak and practice Kouri Vini. She recalls growing up hearing the language and sings a phrase in Kouri Vini that translates to “Every day is not the same.”

Maison freetown’s jam session featured on tv

creole french and zydeco music

Music plays a key role in the preservation of Creole French, particularly through Zydeco, the high-energy genre deeply rooted in Louisiana’s Creole culture. At Maison Freetown’s jam sessions, musicians perform traditional Zydeco songs, at times singing them in Creole French.

Musicians like Randall ‘RJ’ Jackson and Cedric Watson incorporate Kouri Vini into their performances, helping keep the language alive through song. “It has to be like maybe five or six different dialects of Louisiana Creole throughout the Black Creole communities in Southwest Louisiana,” Jackson explains, emphasizing the regional variations in the language.

As the music plays, dancers move to the rhythm, their steps mirroring the beat of an endangered language that still resonates through its culture. At Maison Freetown, Creole French is not just being remembered—it is being spoken, sung, and celebrated.

getting there

Maison Freetown Cultural Center is located at 800 East Vemilion Street in Lafayette, Louisiana, 70501. For more information, you can contact Maison Freetown by email: info@maisonfreetown.org.

800 E Vermilion St, Lafayette, LA 70501