About Us

Welcome to Ékwi Kwéyòl, where our passion for preserving and promoting Saint Lucian Kwéyòl (Kwéyòl Sent Lisi) comes to life. This beautiful language is more than just words to us; it’s the chief conveyor of our history, our culture, traditions, and resilience. Kwéyòl is intertwined in our identity.  

Emerging from a blend of French, African, and indigenous influences, Kwéyòl is an oral language in Saint Lucia. Few Saint Lucians are Kwéyòl literate. While some websites, apps, and books offer glimpses, comprehensive guides to mastering Kwéyòl literacy are rare. This is the void that the website Ékwi Kwéyòl and the newly released book by the same name seek to fill.

Ékwi Kwéyòl is dedicated to providing comprehensive and engaging resources for anyone eager to learn how to read and write Saint Lucian Kwéyòl with competence. We will provide you with a step-by-step path to proficiency. You will discover fundamental rules explained simply, then apply them as your read Kwéyòl sentences, engaging exercises, beloved Kwéyòl folktales (Tim Tim stories), and insightful Kwéyòl proverbs.

We welcome all speakers of French-based languages, generally called Antillean Creole, whether you are from Dominica, Haiti, French Guiana, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, and even from distant countries such as the Seychelles and Mauritius. It is important to note that there are some differences, from minor to substantial, in how these French-based languages are spoken and written. Here at Ékwi Kwéyòl, we will focus exclusively on Saint Lucian Kwéyòl, which is almost identical to Dominican Kwéyòl. Regardless of the Antillean Creole you speak, we all can learn from each other. We welcome all of you!  

Here's a note from our founder, Gideon St.Helen, PhD.

Hello, my name is Gideon St.Helen. I am an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. With a career in education (and now biomedical research and education) that began as a science teacher at Choiseul Secondary School in Saint Lucia, I enjoy educating, whether it's postdoctoral fellows, medical students, or high schoolers. I taught myself how to read and write Saint Lucian Kwéyòl. I sincerely hope that this website and book empower you on your Kwéyòl writing journey.