When Benzo Speaks Creole

Yékrik, yékrak! Yémistikrik, yémistikrak! For three days, Saint-Barthélemy had the honor of hosting Benzo—whose real name is Benjamin Moïse—a famous storyteller from Guadeloupe. Also a writer, teacher, and musician (with the group Kasika), Benzo visited schoolchildren in Colombier and Lorient before hosting a cultural evening on Tuesday, March 31, at the Gouverneur educational farm.
Stories, beliefs, superstitions, wordplay, proverbs, Creole, and the depth of his culture were at the heart of these encounters. Yesterday, Wednesday, April 1, Benzo also put his teaching skills to use by giving a Creole lesson at the Théâtre du Paradis in Gustavia.
“I was asked in December to come perform in Saint-Barthélemy,” explains the storyteller, delighted, as he sits peacefully under a covered walkway in the schoolyard of Saint-Joseph in Lorient. “Storytelling, through its oral transmission, is the glue that holds society together,” he asserts. “From the time we’re very young, we love stories.” With over 200 tales in his repertoire—whether traditional or born of his own creative imagination—Benzo has traveled the world and performed at festivals. From the Caribbean to French Guiana, via Africa and Europe… “Many stories came from Europe or Africa, and we’ve adapted them to the tropics,” he recalls. “In our tales, the eagle becomes a pelican, for example.”
Benzo began telling stories as early as high school. “I was lucky to have three storytellers in my family,” he explains. “And my mentor, Albert Gaspard, is still alive. He’s the dean of Guadeloupe’s storytellers. He’s about to turn 100!” A love for passing on traditions that doesn’t skip a generation, since Benzo’s two daughters, Sandrine and Christina, are also storytellers.
From schools to senior centers, Benzo continues to keep the oral tradition alive, driven by undiminished enthusiasm. “Next month, I’m going back to Ivory Coast for the Abidjan festival,” he says with a delighted smile. “I remember once in Africa, I told a story and all the storytellers there knew the tale. Often, it’s just the names that change, but in Colombia or Haiti, the story is the same.”
As Benzo speaks, a schoolgirl from Saint-Joseph approaches, shyly. In a touching, soft voice, she confides to the storyteller that he was her father’s teacher. Benzo smiles. Yet another example that, from classrooms to performance stages, his passion for passing on knowledge is bearing fruit.
If all goes well, Benzo will return to Saint-Barthélemy with the group Kasika. Most likely at the end of the year, for some Nwel songs. In the meantime, at the age of 74, he will continue with passion and conviction on his path as an artist, teacher, and storyteller.