The National Kwéyòl Song Competition is back. This year, it will be held under the new brand, Chanté Kwéyòl.

This competition began in 2012 as the brainchild of Gordon “Chacom” Leon under the “Annou Manjé, Dansé, Chanté en Kwéyòl”. What started off as a Kwéyòl Calypso competition evolved in 2015 to a song competition embracing all genres of music.

As the world observes “The Year of Indigenous Languages” and Saint Lucia celebrates 40 years of Independence, what better way to celebrate our culture than to include a competition which focuses on our indigenous Kwéyòl language.

The competition is open to everyone and registration is now ongoing and is open to ALL genres of music – the qualification being that the song be performed in Kwéyòl.

As in past years, this year the event is endorsed by the Folk Research Centre (FRC) and will form part of the official calendar of events in celebration of Kwéyòl Heritage Month celebrated in October of every year. Chanté Kwéyòl takes place this year on Friday, October 11, at the National Cultural Centre and will feature seasoned and first-time performers.

Whilst this is an entertainment event, it also focuses on education. As such, Chanté Kwéyòl hosted two (2) workshops in preparation of competition. On Tuesday, September 10, a Music Workshop was facilitated by Jason Joseph on the topic “Infusing Local Rhythms & Traditional Instruments in Modern Music”. The workshop looked at how our modern music embraces our local rhythms which produce a unique and engaging sound.

On Saturday, September 14, 2019, a Kwéyòl Writing Workshop, Apwann ékwi kwéyòl facilitated by Dame Pearlette Louisy will be held. Although the workshops are targeted at participants, attendance is open to the public. Interested persons can register via e-mail chanteenkweyol@gmail.com.