The Haitian Creole Academy (AKA) is officially launching the First Annual Haitian Creole Studies Symposium, an event that will take place in Cap-Haïtien from July 24 to 26, 2026.
The Haitian Creole Academy (AKA) officially launched its First Annual Haitian Creole Studies Symposium, an event taking place in Cap-Haïtien from July 24 to 26, 2026. The event aims to strengthen scientific reflection on the Creole language and encourage its development and standardization, as outlined by the 1987 Constitution.
The opening ceremony was held on July 23, 2026, at Vila Kana Hotel, where several university officials, government representatives, and international organizations participated. More than 100 people registered to take part in the symposium.The first edition carries the theme “Graphemes, Media, and Lexical Class in Haitian Creole.” Over three days, linguists, teachers, journalists, writers, and other specialists will discuss issues related to the official spelling, the use of Creole in the media, and the grammatical structure of the language through various scientific panels and Q&A sessions.
AKA is taking advantage of the event to announce the launch of the Haitian Creole Studies Journal (JEKA), a new scientific review that will publish research and reflections on the Creole language. The first issue of the journal is expected to come out in July 2026.
According to the Academy, the goal of the symposium is to collect data, arguments, and proposals on technical questions concerning the Creole language, create a space for exchange among teachers, students, linguists, and communication professionals, and establish this meeting as an annual event for everyone interested in the advancement of the language.The recommendations and conclusions that come out of the work will be published in JEKA. They will also be used to feed the Haitian Creole Academy’s reflections on spelling, grammar, and the Creole Writing Guide.
The Haitian Creole Academy was created as part of the Haitian government’s efforts to strengthen the status of Creole as the national and official language of Haiti. The Academy already published its first resolution on language spelling in 2017, and the second resolution in 2023, which established the official list of Haitian Creole graphemes.
