Travel With Candace

French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Guadeloupe today ending a tour of the French Carribean aimed at improving relations after a national strike halted all island operations for six weeks earlier this year.  The strike, which began on January 20, 2009 protested the prices of basic commodities and demanded increases in the minimum wage.   The protest spread to the the other overseas departments of Martinique and Reunion and was at times plagued by violence and rioting.  One young protester was killed during the events, allegedly by French police.

Guadeloupe’s LKP, the alliance of unions and associations that coordinated this year’s protests, did not meet personally with Sarkozy during his trip.  KLP spokesperson Elie Domota is quoted in the following excerpt from a France 24 article:

“The government has already fixed its policies for overseas departments. Everything is decided in Paris, the meeting is just a way to show that people have a say in the decisions,” said a discontented Domota.

“People are still mobilising because they want lasting change. People are not going to be deceived by all of this hoopla over the meetings with Sarkozy. All of this is meant to distract us so we quiet down,” the unionist added.

At the end of the this year’s strike Sarkozy offered a package of measures worth 580 million euros ($730 million) to help the overseas regions, that was to include aid to low-income families, lower social security contributions, and price controls on certain high-priced products and fuel.  He also recently appointed the first state secretary to the region that was born on Guadeloupe.

While he made no concrete promises during this trip, Sarkozy said Thursday in Martinique that he cannot defend the current status of the overseas territories.

“To defend the status quo would be incomprehensible,” he said. “The status quo means perpetuating a system that is unfair, obscure and biased.” (Associated Press)

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Marie-Line Dahomay is a family friend and all around amazing lady.  She’s been singing all her life and has definitely made her mark on traditionally male-dominated Gwo Ka music.  Her stage name is Kalindi, and her group, Kalindi Ka, will be playing this evening at Karaoke 97 in Gosier (8:00 pm).  The groups musical style ranges from traditional to modern Gwo Ka.  This piece in particular is billed as “a research of the musical expression of women in Gwo Ka music.”

This performance is sure to please, but if you’re not on the island currently, keep an eye out for Kalind Ka on your next visit.  They’re comissioned pretty regularly, so you’ll likely get another chance to Marie-Line’s group live.

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The “Terre de Blues” Festival is one of the biggest festivals Gaudeloupe hosts each year.  This year’s 10th anniversary edition runs May 27th through June 1st.   The four days of free concerts and cultural presentations are held on Marie Galante, one of Gaudeloupe’s smaller islands located of its south eastern shore.  The festival marks the beginning of the summer season and draws artists from a variety of islands and countries.

Literally all of Marie Galante is taken over by the festival activities and their attendees.  If you can’t find a guest house or vacation rental, you can always bring a hammock and sleep on the beach!

This year’s line up includes my carnival group Akiyo (as always).  It also features (among others):

CAPLETON (Jamaica)

RICHARD BONA (Cameroun)

ORQUESTA BROADWAY (Cuba)

YANN NÉGRIT (Guadeloupe)

VALÉRIE LOURI (Martinique) and

LUCKY PETERSON (USA)

You can find the program and concert information (in French) at the website below.  You can also listen to music from the featured artists.

www.terredeblues.com

If you are ever thinking of visiting Guadeloupe near the end of May the “Terre de Blues” should definitely be on your agenda.

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Les Saintes is comprised of two small islands (Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas) 15 minutes off the southwest coast of Guadeloupe. It is a sleepy, sun-kissed location offering beautiful beaches, great snorkeling, and some nice hikes. I stayed on main island of Terre-de-Haut; I’ve never seen a place better described by the word quaint. The brightly colored creole houses face the clear blue-green sea and people sit on their porches watching the boats, tourists, inhabitants going about their business. There aren’t many cars, as locals and tourists alike seem to travel by scooter. There are only two “towns” on the whole island so you get the feeling that everyone really does know one another. Interestingly, the island is populated largely by mixed race and Caucasian people. This is a far cry from the main island, which is predominately black.

Go spend a day or two!!  Highlights include:

La Plage a Pompier (beach)

La Pain de Sucre (destination)

Le Fort Napolean (destination)

Les Petites  Saintes (lodging)

La Plage a Crawen (beach)

Villa Anse Caraibe (lodging)

The Coconut Bar (nightlife)

Hotel UCPA (nightlife)

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First things first, Fanswa Ladreazeau has an amazing voice. He is the lead singer of Akiyo, the musical group associated with the cultural organization I’ve marched with for Carnival over the last three years.

Fanswa released his most recent solo album, “Espwa Kouraj” (Hope Courage) in December 2008. It is traditional Gwo Ka music infused with modern instruments like keyboard and electric guitar; a great mix in my opinion. The album was recorded in creole and even many Guadeloupeans can’t understand much of the archaic vocabulary used. Whether the lyrics are understood or not, the sound - at times exhilarating, at times haunting - is always unique and creates a charged atmosphere.

Check out his site on FaceBook.  I have some good video posted there!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Fanswa-Ladrezeau-Ofisyel-la/40672134651?ref=ts

Also, I just found his album is available on iTunes…Check it out!

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Though it was incredibly sad to leave Guadeloupe, I am happily back in the Bay Area with my family.

Thanks to all who looked in on my blog and continued to do so during my dry spells!  I hope to do some throwback post amidst my job search, so I’ll send out bulletins when I have something new.

Thanks again!

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I already gave you all the rundown on mud baths at Plage de Babin, but this recent picture was just too funny…

Pictured: Sherilee (Trinidad), Nicole (New York), Andrea (Trinidad)

Tags: random, things to do, Guadeloupe // 868 Comments »

Velo is the most famous drummer of Akiyo, a well-known cultural organization on Guadeloupe. Members of Akiyo marched to the drummers tomb in Pointre-a-Pitre last Saturday and performed a small ceremony on his behlaf. The ceremony included the placement of various tokens on the grave and a speech detailing Velo’s importance in regards to keeping traditional music alive when drumming was banned on the island.

Notice the old woman in the just behind the grave. She is ever-present at Akiyo events and we are always amazed at her enthusiasm and energy. The fact that she drinks, smokes, and pinches young women’s rear ends just makes it all the more funny.

Tags: random, Guadeloupe // 2 Comments »

The list of items you can derive from a coconut tree (“pyekoko” in Creole) seems never-ending. I’ve noted the use of coconut milk in cooking and you should already know that mixing coconut cream with fresh pineapple and rum makes a mean Pina Colada. I’ve previously mentioned coconut water along with coconut sorbet and personally have a growing collection of bracelets, earrings and other accessories made from the shells of dry coconuts (“koko sec”). Recently, at a Creole cultural celebration I was taught to make another coconut product, a hat woven of coconut leaves.

The cultural celebration took place in Petit Bourg and was hosted by a local teachers union. The event featured various areas where attendees could partake in different activities such as toy making, basket weaving, and, of course, hat making. The gentleman at the hat station was very helpful and demonstrated the whole process; it actually wasn’t too hard after you got the hang of it.

The process starts with an entire coconut branch that is split sown the middle. A portion of one of the halves is cut roughly two inches more than the desired band of the hat. The stalk is then stripped down to about a quarter-inch thick; the shreds of stalk removed are used to tie the band in a circular shape. At this point, the weaving begins; it can be done in a variety of patterns. I was shown a weaving method that basically braided three leaves at a time in a circular pattern to make the hat’s brim. You separate, then gather the remaining lengths of the leaves at the point of the hat and weave downward to complete the shape. When satisfied with the downward weaving the remaining leaves are neatly clipped in conclusion.

We are on the look out for some more big branches to make a few more hats and a nice “How-to.”

Editor’s Note: I am aware that the hat I made is WAY to small. There weren’t enough branches for everyone to make a hat their head’s size; hence the search for more branches.

Tags: random, things to do, Guadeloupe, Uncategorized // 1 Comment »

While sitting atop one of my favorite waterfalls at Ecrevisses, I noticed a rock formation that looks like a face peering of into to the distance. Do you see what I see? Let me know!

Editor’s Note: If you can’t find it, look at the middle of the photograph.

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