The Transatlantic Culture Trade

The Transatlantic Culture Trade Synopsis

This unique collection, The Transatlantic Culture Trade: Caribbean Creole Proverbs from Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean, celebrates indigenous Caribbean Creole languages and one of their associated cultural vectors, Creole proverbs. It is particularly timely as 2019 has been designated by the United Nations as the Year of Indigenous Languages, and falls within the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent which began in 2015 and will end in 2024. The 222 French-lexified and English-lexified Creole proverbs from the Caribbean, with corresponding phonetic transcriptions (IPA), is accessible to an international audience. As the homogenizing effects of globalization threaten the preservation of indigenous cultures of small nation states such as those in the Caribbean, this collection of proverbs counterbalances cultural erosion, and thereby safeguards the region’s cultural heritage for future generations. Elements of intangible cultural heritage, Caribbean Creole proverbs depict the socio-historical heritage of the multilingual and multicultural region. This work is an invaluable resource for translators of Caribbean Creole culture, especially Creole proverbs, scholars of Caribbean Creole culture and anyone interested in comparative Caribbean Creole intangible cultural heritage.