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Welcome to the autumn edition of Kreol. At least Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, but Spring/Summer for our Creole readers in the Sothern Hemisphere.

In many countries, autumn traditionally signals the beginning of fairs and festivals season. This is particularly true in Louisiana where from the mid of September every corner of the state hosts its annual celebrations with plethora of music and great southern food.

In this issue, we feature a number of talented individuals from a wide spectrum of society, ethnic backgrounds, and religious views and beliefs. Born into a humble family with a rich, diverse heritage, Alicia Keys has grown to become one of the world’s most popular singers and a respected philanthropist who gives back in any way she can. However, what do you really know about this talented artist? Do you know what she does outside of music? Learn more (p. 6). Federico Alberto Cuello Camilo (p. 12), the Ambassador to the United Kingdom for the Dominican Republic, is proud of his Creole heritage and tells us about his love for Dominican Republic Creole culture and heritage. Soraya Abu Naba’a (p. 20) of Dominican Republic explores through her art the cultural divides between two conflicting nationalities in her family.

Dennis Paul Williams (p. 26), a gifted artist and musician from Louisiana, believes that his inspirational and spiritual works of art are directly representative of his upbringing in the Creole communities of southern Louisiana. His compatriots, Bryant Fusilier (p. 30) who is the best known by his nickname, Boobie, and a young self-taught genealogist, Alex Lee (p. 34) are cousins and both, although in their different ways, are dedicated to preservation of their Creole heritage and culture.

Bertrand Belle (p. 38) is the prime example of a young, educated Seychellois returning home to help his Creole community. Samuel Dalembert (p. 42), Haitian born professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player, helps the children of his homeland to achieve their sporting and education goals through the Dalembert Academy Project. A Top Chef finalist, Nina Compton (p. 122), a native of St. Lucia, tells us that a career as a chef takes dedication, hours of training, and the willingness to learn.

In our music section, we bring to you musicians of various styles and backgrounds. Lil Wayne (p. 68) is a rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana; Max Moran (p. 72) is another son of New Orleans and a well-known jazz bassist. A pot pourri of other artists includes Ora Reed (p. 76) who has been serving as the official Cultural Ambassador of her native Mississippi since 2006, Patrick Kleemola (p. 80) is a classical guitarist from Finland and Nathan Williams (p. 84) of St. Martinville, Louisiana, continues his family’s musical tradition through his Zydeco. Kreol reviews two fantastic music events that happened earlier this year, the 2015 Zydeco Extravaganza (p.88) in Lafayette, Louisiana and 3rd Creole United Festival (p. 92) held in Sausalito, California.

Another event that we look back on is The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Amsterdam (p. 102), displaying a broad and diverse offering of fashion lines from designers across Netherlands and across the globe. We interview one of its participants, Trinidad-based designer Charu Lochan Dass (p. 98).

The Creole history and culture flag is flying with a look at the literary giant Aleksander Pushkin (p. 44). A Creole who is revered in Russia. Kreol features Allen Broussard (p. 50), husband, father, judge and Gumbo Master Chef from Louisiana, and Joseph Laroche (p. 50), who uniquely was the Only Black Man to Die on the Titanic. Ian Hancock delivers another educational article, in this issue on Louisiana Creole French (p. 56), exploring the boundaries of the Francophone area and the meaning of “Creole” and “French”. Rolph Ethienne writes about Tous Créoles! (p. 66) a Creole Association in Martinique.

Creoles are foodies, both cooking it and particularly eating it. However, healthy eating may be compromised by the promotional and marketing techniques of large food organisations (p. 126). We all need to be aware of the subtle methods employed so that an unhealthy diet is avoided. Variety in food is the spice of life so Kreol has provided a number of recipes for steak sauces that you may wish to substitute for the standard fayre (p. 130).

Creolite is about diversity and inclusion. It’s the openness with which we should look at the term “Creole”. It is not about the colour of your skin, but about culture, diversity and inclusiveness. This issue will warm your Autumn or cool you Summer days.

Georgina Dhillon
Editor