Submitted by Lisa Pham on the 2016 winter session program in Martinique sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
It rains all the time in Martinique. During the night, the sky opens up and a waterfall comes down to swallow the island whole. I’m sure this has been proven by science somewhere, but I have yet to find the research. In the meantime, I am positive this is how precipitation works in this region.
Still, the people of this island remain content. They are noticeably happy with where they are and who they are as a people. This, of course, does not mean they are not open to new cultures. In fact, they are extremely excited about meeting newcomers who flock to their campuses and beaches like crows (both in quantity and in noise level).
This past week, we learned what it means to be Créole and the importance of créolité (or creoleness) to Martinican culture. Creoleness defines the combination of cultures in the Antilles. Oftentimes, it refers to the mixture of French and African cultures or English and African cultures. The cause of this mixture is unfortunate. Centuries ago, slave boats carried millions of men and women from Africa to work plantations for European settlers in the West Indies. These slaves and their descendants adapted to their new culture, especially after being freed, but also maintained several aspects of their African heritage.
Today, you can see the results of this diversity in Martinique’s language, food, clothing and music. We had the honor of learning a traditional bélé dance to perform for our host families later this week. Bélé is a music form that originated on sugar plantations, as a way for slaves to pass the time. Today, the people of Martinique continue to allow the genre to evolve. It was a way for their ancestors to deal with the suffering that was dealt to them by cruel, oppressive figures. It is still, today, a cathartic expression of their pain and anxiety, as well as an expression of their commitment to their African roots.
None of us did the bélé justice, but luckily, this particular type of music is not about perfection. It is Créole. It embraces the new while keeping the old, all while closing its eyes and following the beat of the same drum that echoes along with the raindrops of a Martinican evening.