• illustration with a piano, saxophon, violon

    Martinique land of music ?

    Regardless of the population that lived in Martinique, music has always played an essential role, both in everyday life and in rituals and ceremonies. It served as a marker of identity for groups and communities. The Arawaks used it to communicate with the gods, slaves to remember their homelands, and colonists to integrate with the local nobility. As for modern music, the 20th century marked a turning point.

    26 minutes

Bibliography :

- L'esclavage aux Antilles françaises avant 1789 : d'après des documents des archives nationales, Lucien Pierre Peytraud
- Des Colonies françaises. Abolition immédiate de l'esclavage, Victor Schoelcher
- La musique dans la société antillaise 1635-1902 (Martinique-Guadeloupe), Jacqueline Rosemain
Martinique : bèlè d’hier et d’aujourd’hui, François Bensignor