A linguistic and thematic analysis of Khal Torabully’s Coolitude

Abstract

Following the end of slavery, the Indians contracted to work in the colonies were always seen in a negative light; they were known as ‘beasts of burden’; the designation ‘coolie’ itself, at the time, was a derogatory term. At the beginning of the 20th century, as black intellectuals Sedar Senghor, Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Dubois brought about a new consciousness, a renaissance of black cultures and values, other intellectuals in the colonies began to realize that their cultural specificities demanded similar awareness and recognition. Chamoiseau and Confiant were pioneers in writing about the Creole experience and identity, and popularized the concept of Creolite. However, it was recognized that Creolite could not be applied equally to all social constituents. Khal Torabully’s concept of Coolitude provides us with a theoretical framework within which the term coolie undergoes a radical change. The term is here divested of all negative associations and invested with positive connotations: shared experiences during the voyage by sea and during exile in the land of adoption, where all migrants in Coolitude have a common culture and have forged a plural identity.