So near, yet so far: Bannzil's pan-Creole idealism.

This article focuses on the pan-Creole idealism. The Creole language is the most salient mediating link between the colonial heritage and the African or Asian roots. Speaking of the Creole society and language in the singular is a convenient way of introducing Bannzil's perspective, which stresses the pan-Creole unity while recognizing the plural nature and distinctive features of the society and language. Unity and diversity form part of the dynamics of the Creole world, a fact recognized by the Bannzil Kréyól movement, later known simply as Bannzil. The objective of Bannzil, presented in the founding declaration of May 1982 in the Seychelles, defines the movement as an association of linguists, educators, researchers, artists and writers who consider themselves members of a great family scattered over the world, dedicated to the promotion of the Creole language, culture and society. The initial vision appears extremely ambitious for it embraced the whole Creole world of French-lexicon parentage, including the diasporas, irrespective of the political status of its member states. Perhaps the major lesson to be drawn from the Bannzil experience is the need for a more pragmatic approach to the problems of the Creole languages and societies seen from a local and regional standpoint rather than through a problematic global vision of créolophonie.