BP5 Introduction

A Guadeloupean festival

         

     How does Guadeloupe celebrate its heritage? Guadeloupe has several festivals that reflect the heritage of its citizens. These festivals define the culture of Guadeloupe. The musical culture of Guadeloupe is reflected through the festival of Terre de Blues Festival of Marie-Galante. Another festivity that reflects a part of the Guadeloupean culture is the carnival.  In carnival,  the community dresses up to celebrate their heritage. There are multiple festivities in Guadeloupe's carnival that exemplify their culture through their excellent food. Guadeloupe’s most captivating part of their heritage is the blend of cultures such as French and Afro-European. 

Blog post 4 Guadeloupe Research

When trying to find information on Guadeloupean culture, there is multiple sources to use. Guadeloupean culture has a variety of cultures inside of it. The cultures I’m primarily focusing on is the French and Afro-European cultures. Guadeloupe is under the jurisdiction of France. The citizens on the island are just as French as the people in France. Guadeloupe has been an island of conflict since it was discovered. The island was fought over several times between the French and British. The French ultimately gained control of the island. The Africans on the island were brought as slaves and they were harvesting sugar cane along with other slaves to the European power houses.

The most difficult part of researching the Caribbean cultures is that there is not just one specific culture to investigate. I’ve had to dive into African culture that tells me why there are certain colors used in the carnivals on the streets. “Gold is an extremely popular color. It represents wealth and fertility (http://blog.africaimports.com/wordpress/2015/02/the-hidden-meanings-of-african-clothing/.)” The carnivals of Guadeloupe tend to last several months and there are tons of colorful parades through the streets.

            Guadeloupe is known for its beautiful waters and beaches, so there are various places to visit. A notorious beach in Guadeloupe is Grande Anse. This beach is a favorite among tourists.  

The next part of my research will be about the music used at the Guadeloupean festivals. The music is called Zouk and I will be looking into the several instruments played in the music. The music has a unique pattern to it that is different from a typical 1-2-3-4 beat.