“Wap Konn Jòj!” How many times have you heard that phrase right there—say from your mom, dad, grandpa, or grandma—and wondered, “What?” Other questions emerge in your brain, too.
Questions like, “Who is George and what will he do to me when I get to know him?” And when things get tough, really really tough, you are told, “Wap konn Jòj. W ap konn manman Jòj, w ap konnen papa Jòj. Anfin, tout fanmi Jòj.” Yup, you will know George, his mama too, his dad. Heck, his whole family!”
I bet you’ve told someone, “W ap konn Jòj”, and have no idea what it really means! You tend to throw it at others, because your parents and other assorted persons have been known to throw it at you.
But, really, who is George? And while we are at it, why not, know the origins of other Creole expressions and sayings that grandma and grandpa, mom, dad and other relatives like to throw around! To assist your favorite chick Kreyolicious in this task, we reached out to Wynnie Lamour, the Founder and Director of the Haitian Creole Language Institute of New York.
Lamour was born in Haiti, and moved to New York when she was a kid, and has taught Haitian Creole. She holds a in Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics. Here she is educating us on the origins of 11 Haitian Creole expressions and sayings, and guiding us on how and when to use them!
1. Saying: “Wap konn Jòj.”
WYNNIE LAMOUR: This phrase literally translates to “You will know George” while it actually means, “Just wait and see” or “You will get what’s coming to you”. The origin of this phrase is up for much debate. There are several explanations floating around. Currently, the most common is that it’s attributed to Hurricane Georges that passed through Haiti in September 1998, causing great damage. Others attribute the saying to Reynold Georges, a leader of the political party Alliance for the Liberation and Advancement of Haiti (ALAH), who is loosely quoted as saying “[Jean-Bertrand] Aristide pral konnen ki moun ki rele Reynold Georges la” or “Aristide will know who they call Reynold Georges”. Still, others claim that was a popular saying warning schoolchildren to behave, or they will know Jòj, another word for the rigwaz, or whip. Most likely, it is a Biblical reference to St. George, who is known for bringing the mad back to their senses. In popular biblical lore, to be sent to St. George’s is to be sent to the madhouse. No matter the origin, the meaning still stands.
When to Say it: If you are in a furious argument with someone and they are just not seeing or understanding your point, you can end the argument by saying “Wap konn Jòj!”.