La Martinique

1. La Martinique L’île aux fleurs

2. Madinina, or La Martinique, is located in the eastern Caribbean. Madinina is a Carib Indian name meaning island of flowers (oul’île aux fleurs). Le jardin de Balata, Fort-de-France, Martinique

3. Background Information People of various racial and ethnic backgrounds live in Martinique. Créoles are the largest ethnic group on the island and are of mixed African and European descent. Békés, or Blancs-Pays are white inhabitants born in Martinique Blancs-France are white residents from mainland France.

4. Important Places of Martinique A library named after Victor Schœlcher, who worked in the nineteenth Century to abolish slavery in Martinique. La bibliothèqueSchœlcher A beautiful park in Fort-de-France, which was once a Battlefield Where the French fought the English and the Dutch in the seventeenth century for possession of Martinique. La Savane La Pagerie The estate of Napoléon Bonaparte’s first wife, Joséphine, who was born in 1763

5. Important People of Martinique Joséphine de Beauharnais Born 1763 and died 1814, she was born in La Pagerie. She married Napoléon Bonaparte in 1796. When she was Unable to provide him with the heir he so desperately wanted, Napoléon divorced her in 1809. AiméCésaire A poet and playwrite who co-founded the literary movement called Négritude, which sought to restore the cultural identity of black Africans. His works include the poem Cahier d’un Retour au pays natal (1939) and the play La Tragédie du roi Christophe (1963).

6. Food Some culinary specialties of Martinique are Boudincréole: a spicy sausage Acras de morue: cod fritters Crabesfarcis: stuffed crab Colombo de mouton: curried lamb stew with rice

7. Music Le zoukis a fast style of rhythmic music originating from the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. The word zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French. The Creole word "soukwe", "souke", "zouke" from the French verb "secouer", meaning "to shake" was introduced by Haitian meringue-compas musicians who toured these Islands in the 50s-80s. The biguineis also a popular dance of Martinique and existed before le zouk. It is a lively partner dance, which is believed to combine elements from the calenda, a dance with African roots, and the menuet and branle, ballroom dances introduced to the island by the French.

8. Culture Vocabulary l’artisinat l’orvert l’orblanc les ressources le balata les gommiers/ les yoles the craft industry green gold white gold resources rare tree found in Martinique traditional fishing boats that are also used for racing les épices la cannelle les clous de girofle la coriandre le cumin le curry le gingembre la muscade spices cinnamon garlic cloves coriander cumin curry ginger nutmeg