“Why and how we say what we say.”
Komen yé di en Kréyòl Lalwizyann?

Calling all language-curious locals, tourism professionals, and Louisiana culture bearers!

Ever wonder why we say the things we say here in Louisiana and how we traditionally pronounce those words and phrases?

In collaboration with Alliance Française de la Nouvelle Orléans, Creative Assembly Cohort member Dianne Honoré hosts a  Louisiana Creole and French pronunciation workshop. Participants will take part in fun, interactive ways to learn language history, why it’s important to the survival of traditions, and how to pronounce popular words, names, landmarks, and so much more.

This event is free with advanced registration.

Register Now

About the Instructors

Dianne Honoré 

Growing up in her family’s Creole restaurant in Tremé laid the foundation for Dianne “Gumbo Marie” Honoré’s work as a historic interpreter, Creole culture activist, teaching artist, and event producer. She founded the Black Storyville Baby Dolls, the Amazons Benevolent Society, and Unheard Voices of Louisiana. She masks as Big Queen of the Yellow Pocahontas Hunters Tribe for which she creates one-of-a-kind suits from thousands of beads and feathers. She has organized numerous history-related music and food events, tours, and exhibits over several decades including the Roots of Creole Cooking tour for Culinary Backstreets, the Golden Crown exhibit and symposium at the New Orleans Jazz Museum celebrating the legacy of Big Chief Darryl Montana, and descendant heritage tours. In addition to appearances on the Harry Connick Jr. Show, Flip My Food, BET, and Good Morning America, she hosted a show focused on New Orleans history and current events. She owned an exhibit store called “Gumbo Marie” curating exhibits on Louisiana history. Annually, she produces Baking for Breast Cancer with her cancer focus group the Amazons Benevolent Society, raising funds for local cancer fighters.

Lawson Ota

Lawson Ota is the founder and owner of Tours by Marguerite, a tour company focused on the Creole culture of New Orleans and the pioneers in the development of this heritage during the 18th and 19th centuries. The company is named after Ota’s grandmother, Margaret “Marguerite” Williams. Margaret was a gifted storyteller and maintained, as many of her generation did, the rich oral tradition of West Africa continued by slaves and their descendants in the New World.

Ota is also a teacher of French as a foreign language. He holds an M.A. in linguistics, French, and German. He has devoted his career to the defense of the heritage languages of Louisiana (that is, Louisiana French and Louisiana Creole).

Joseph Dunn 

For more than 25 years, Joseph Dunn’s in-depth knowledge of the varied cultures, languages, and heritages of Louisiana has afforded him work at the highest levels of the state’s cultural and tourism industries. Dunn was most recently appointed Honorary Consul of Canada in New Orleans. Prior to beginning his freelance work in 2014, Joseph was the Executive Director of the Council on the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) from 2011 to 2014. He had previously worked at the Consulate General of France in Louisiana, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, the Office of Cultural Development of Louisiana, the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association, Laura Plantation, and the Louisiana Office of Tourism. In recognition of his work, Dunn was knighted by the Republic of France as a Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite in November of 2021 and was inducted into the Ordre des Francophones d’Amérique by Québec’s Ministry of the French Language in 2022.