https://www.britannica.com/place/Martinique
http://martinicaonline.com/creole-cuisine-martinique
https://ziloka.wordpress.com/category/french-west-indian-culture/page/2/
http://caribya.com/martinique/culture/music/
https://alyssawrites.com/la-maison-du-bele/ http://www.popflock.com/learn?s=Tambour_bele
Martinique is a beautiful Caribbean island located in the Lesser Antilles. It is approximately 1,500 miles south of the United States. This island is an overseas department of France but has a distinctive mixture of French, West African and Indian influences in its culture.
Martinique was first sighted in 1493 by Christopher Columbus but he only visited the island on his fourth voyage in 1502 . The Spaniards were not particularly interested in the island as it lacked the material rewards they desired. However Belain d’Estambuc (a Frenchman) landed on Martinique, raised the French Flag and established French settlement on the island in 1635. At the time when the French had arrived, the island was occupied by Tainos, then the Kalinagos, who eventually died out due to the Europeans diseases that were brought by the colonizers as well as extermination.
During this process of extermination African slaves were brought in 1636 to work on sugar plantations. An intense period of colonization occurred, causing conflict between the French and the Caribbean natives until the natives were eradicated in 1660. It didn’t end there however, as Martinique’s sugar export peaked and the British were drawn to fight for control of the island. This caused the possession of Martinique to change hands several times during 18th and 19th centuries until Napoleon officially recovered the island for France in 1802. Slavery continued until it was abolished in 1848 and Indentured laborers from India were imported 10 years later adding more ethnic variety on the island. The French were able to maintain their hold on Martinique and it eventually became an overseas French départment, or région d’outre-mer.
Martinique was first sighted in 1493 by Christopher Columbus but he only visited the island on his fourth voyage in 1502 . The Spaniards were not particularly interested in the island as it lacked the material rewards they desired. However Belain d’Estambuc (a Frenchman) landed on Martinique, raised the French Flag and established French settlement on the island in 1635. At the time when the French had arrived, the island was occupied by Tainos, then the Kalinagos, who eventually died out due to the Europeans diseases that were brought by the colonizers as well as extermination.
During this process of extermination African slaves were brought in 1636 to work on sugar plantations. An intense period of colonization occurred, causing conflict between the French and the Caribbean natives until the natives were eradicated in 1660. It didn’t end there however, as Martinique’s sugar export peaked and the British were drawn to fight for control of the island. This caused the possession of Martinique to change hands several times during 18th and 19th centuries until Napoleon officially recovered the island for France in 1802. Slavery continued until it was abolished in 1848 and Indentured laborers from India were imported 10 years later adding more ethnic variety on the island. The French were able to maintain their hold on Martinique and it eventually became an overseas French départment, or région d’outre-mer.
Above is a picture of Fort de France which is the capital of Martinique and the largest city in the French Antilles.
The islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe produced the music genre known as Zouk. This musical style combines elements from cadence, biguine, compas and calypso music. It is a product of African and European musical influence. Zouk is to the French Antilles what Soca is to Trinidad and Tobago. It is a music that the Martinican community holds as an emblem of cultural pride as it draws from local traditions. It’s lively tempo is energizing and the music can easily allure you.
Zouk, means ‘party’, and it emerged in the 1980s. Early zouk was distinguishable from the other Antillean music because of it’s excessive use of synthesizers which created a ‘studio’ sound. The music, however, still retained traditional rhythms and instruments and incorporated the creole language of the Islands. Modern day zouk has a more electronic sound. Zouk has a huge fan base outside of Martinique, especially in France.at least as well-known outside Martinique. The genre was made popular by the band ‘Kassav’.
Instrumentation
Bele music is accompanied by one or two drums, these drums are the Tambour (Bèlè Drum) and Tibwa. In some cases kon’lambi and chacha are also used for ochestra settings.
Bèlè (Drum)
The bèlè is the name of a medium size tambour drum. It is an open-bottomed drum with a goatskin head stretched across the top of the drum. In modern day martinique they use rum barrels to create the body of the drum. Players sit astride the drum. players use one foot in playing the drum alternating with the use of their hands.
Tibwa
Tibwa is made from two baguettes, twigs of woody and hard trees (guavas, tibom, coffee) that are cut and dried in the sun. It is played by a ti-bwatè (ti-bwa player) on the back of the bèlè drum and marks the rhythm. The rhythm usually goes ‘Tak-pi-tak-pi-tak’ and is repeated throughout the performance.
Kon’lambi (shell of lambi)
The shell of a conch is called a lambi in the West Indies.The lambi (pronounced lahm-bee) is the Haitian Creole word for conch shell . They were used for cooking pots, knives, hooks, and pendants. The conch shell ( lambi) alerted the slaves of impending danger and the need to come together and fight. The labi ( conch shell) has become an endangered species because it was so popular and harvested at a great rate.
chacha (maracas)
Maracas were created and first used by the native indians of Puerto Rico( the Tainos), as a percussion musical instrument.The maracas are a pair of rattles made from gourds that are tied to a handle for shaking and inside the gourd there are stones, beans or seeds. Different sounds can be made with a single maraca: it can be hit with one hand by making a hard deep noise or it might be shaken back and forth giving a lighter and echoing sound.
Bèlè is a musical style which evolved in Martinique through a process of transcultural exchange. It blends influences of various African or even European traditions. The genre however, mainly ties to the time of slavery in Martinique and is a legacy of Africa. The slaves who were imported to various Caribbean Islands for labour were forbidden to practice their traditions and religion, even speak their own language in many cases. However this didn’t deter them but birthed the innovative song dance genre that became a form of resistance.
Bèlè music consists of elements of singing, percussion instrumentation and dancing. When combined these elements are used to tell stories of the beautiful island’s community, personal experiences and culture. There are a variety of bélè song-dances which include bèlè dous, bèlè belya, bèlè pitjè, biguine bèlè , and gran bèlè. Some of these song dances are combat dances and song dances that accompanied slave labour while others are the fertility and mating rites dances derived from West Africa.
Bèlè music is a structured art form that has different steps to ensure that the music is performed well. There is the lead singer who is called the “lavwa.” He will make a call and then a choir will respond utilizing the call and response music format. The tibwate player will keep the rhythm while the player on the Bele drum will accompany the chants.
Feeling the Spirit Bèlè Dancers Fort de France Martinique
photo by: Adama Delphine Fawundu2
During the time of slavery in Martinique, bèlè music was played to mesh conjoint labor and the dance performed during periods of festivity and bereavement. There was a rhythm for work, for fighting, for worship, and a rhythm to celebrate and to seduce. Each step and drum beat had a meaning. Today a basic “Bèlè ronde” (dancing circle) is composed of 8 dancers, with 2 couples dancing simultaneously while the other couples wait their turn to join the dance. The movements tend to be flirtatious and the musical experience is also a very engaging one for the audience.
The population of Martinique as of 2019 is 364,354. The island is made up of natives descended from West African slaves, East Indian laborers, French settlers etc. The majority consists of mixed race Blacks, Whites and Asians while the minority are French, East Indian and other races. Roman Catholicism is the most dominant religion followed by Protestant (mainly Seventh day Adventist) and other Christian. There are also small groups of adherents that practice Hinduism and Islam.
The culture of Martinique is very colorful and flavorful incorporating dishes, music, festivals, crafts and traditions derived from the various ethnic and religious backgrounds of the population. The delicious cuisine combine French and Caribbean and Indian delicacies into amazing creole dishes. The vibrant colors of the tropical island translate to their fashion and craft reflecting the delicate beauty of the islands landscape, wildlife and forestry.
Festivals
There are many festivals that are active in Martinique that displays the island’s rich blend of culture. One of the biggest is Vaval; you may know of this event as Carnaval elsewhere in the Caribbean, and Mardi-Gras in many other places. Every year in Febuary Vaval is held concluding on the first day of Christian Lent. Like many similar festivities throughout the world, the event has four to five days of masquerades, parades, dancing and music. It is an extremely fun, island-wide party. It displays the creativity of the natives in various art-forms.
Je m'appelle Martinique: Bélè et Zouk 