Negotiating Social Identities on an Eastern Maroon Radio Show

In recent years, Pidgin and Creole languages have made significant inroads into the public domain of the countries where they are spoken. The media, and the radio broadcasting sector in particular, are the areas in which they figure most prominently. Extension of their use has brought about linguistic changes (Garrett, 2000). This paper explores such changes in relation to the Eastern Maroon radio program Loweman Pansu broadcasted in French Guiana. It investigates whether the program assimilates established norms and practices of programs run in European languages or introduces innovative ones based on local practices. Analysis suggests that the program’s makeup and linguistic practices contribute to the emergence of an alternative social space that is distinctly Eastern Maroon in character but integrates properties that are linked to the urban context. This contributes to the construction of a modern urban Maroon identity that transcends traditional ethnic and national borders.