14 Oct 2026, 08:20 PM

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Centuries of historical baggage surrounds this form of speech. But I’m vowing to overcome shame and connect with this part of my cultureDon’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereRecently, my sister sent me and my mum a graphic promoting a Jamaican Patois (or Patwa) class on Instagram, organised by British teacher and author Naia Lewis. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before – Patois and other Caribbean Creole forms of speech are rarely treated as legitimate languages.As a descendant of Caribbean migrants to the UK, I grew up surrounded by Patois, but had never practised speaking it. I wanted to go, but felt terrified of embarrassing myself. This week, I conquered that fear and explored why learning Patois and other Creole languages is so fraught and controversial across the diaspora. Continue reading...

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