Days 7/8: Culture and Fiascos

Hello All! It has been more than 24 hours since I've posted, and so much has happened since I last checked in!

I chose not to post last night because all I did during the day was head to the CRDP (rough translation: Departmental Center of Pedagogical Research-- a library for teachers to make lesson plans).  As promised, I checked out textbooks about DOMs.  France is very big on unity in the sense that, historically, they've had one king, one religion, one language, etc.  Obviously, that simplifies the issue a bit, but generally this is the ideal.  In this vein, I thought it would be interesting to see how this translated into education, and specifically, how this translated into the education of Guadeloupean and Martinican children.  I found some interesting stuff! Most of the textbooks were geared towards children in the Metropole (mainland France) which means that there is little specific rapport with the daily lives of those in the DOMs.  However, it's still important to learn world history, culture, etc. so that's not too out of the ordinary.  I did, however, find gems like this:

Glad I'm not the only one who associates France with cheese and baguette.

Last night, I went to a performance called An Nannan Ay (I think this translates "reflections of self through art).  It was billed as a show about identity and sense of self translated into poetry, dance, and singing.  This directly relates to my project: how do local artists interpret conflicting French and Creole identitites? I think the show was really good.  I could be more sure of my answer if I understood either creole or French spoken very quickly with a bit of an accent.  A brief resume of some of the pieces that interested me :
1- in which a young man seemed to be debating whether to approach a young woman in French or creole.  Hijinx apparently ensued. 
2- in which an older woman with an incredibly beautiful voice sang "we cannot let this bird die" and in the background a woman kept saying "Guadeloupe, Guadeloupe".
All of the performers were extremely talented, and I wish I could have understood everything that happened! I am hoping to get in touch with the organization that put on the performance to better understand the show and their inspiration.

TODAY:
wow what a day! This morning I went to Morne a l'Eau and Petit- Canal to look at some interesting relics from the slave era and a museum about popular culture in Guadeloupe.

In Morne a l'Eau I saw Canal des Rotours: a canal created entirely with slave labor!!

Isn't is incredible what you can accomplish with free labor?!?! (Or minimally paid labor: some workers were technically free.  Although I highly doubt the conditions were much better.)

Then I went to nearby Petit Canal, where I saw les Marches des Esclaves and le Musee de la Vie d'Antan.

les Marches des Esclaves was incredbly powerful.  It served as a marketplace for the purchase of slaves.  In one picture, you can see the nearby port where slaves disembarqued.  They were then brought to this staircase, classified by tribe/ ethnicity, and sold. 

Les Marches des Esclaves

See the port??

"Congos"-- there were also Yoruba, Peul, and other African ethnic groups higher up on the staircase

I think we all try to distance ourselves from tragic incidents, glossing over the details sometimes to make things more palatable.  But for me, this made slavery very real and that may be why its one of my favorite things that I've seen this week.

Afterwards, I headed over to Musee de la Vie d'Antan.  Their exhibit, entitled "la Mer, Notre Mere" (the sea, our mother: word play because Mer and Mere are pronounced the same in French).  Four rooms depicted Guadeloupe's surroundings, economy, history, and culture as related to the sea.  It was a nice musuem, but my biggest takeaway was the central role played by the sea in island life. 

You know just this morning I was thinking, "wow.  It is so empowering to be able to drive in another country.  At first, I was always panicky because they don't have street signs and use roundabouts instead of lights.  But now I am at least considered competant! Go me. I feel so empowered." Life heard that, and life said "LOL". On the way home, I got a flat tire. This is the first time I've had a flat tire. Ever. I don't really know how to change a flat tire.  So I called the car rental company.  After a some english/ mostly French conversation that took WAY longer than it should have (it's always harder to speak a foreign language on the phone!!) the company sent out a "depanneur" to retreive me and my little car from a gas station and take us back to the rental station. So I sat on a curb and read some Virginia Woolf.  BUT who knew the "Tour de Guadeloupe" was happening today? (who knew there even WAS A tour de Guadeloupe??)  Unfortunately, the depanneur fell behind this race and it thus took him over an hour to reach me! (it took us about 15 min tops to get back to the rental agency.) Correction: I read a lot of Virginia Woolf.  Once back to the rental station, they gave me a new car (same make and model) so they could get they old one fixed.  I was happy to finally be done with the ordeal, but sad to have give up my old car.  In a country where I don't know anybody, that car became my only friend of sorts.  As I write that, I realize how ridiculous and juvenile it sounds.  But it is true. So now I have a blue car instead of a black one.  RIP Blackjack, you may have been replaced but you will never be forgotten.

When life hands you flat tires, throw back a picutre of a pug in a tub. Nobody can be sad with a pug in a tub.

After such a stressful day today, I'm planning on sticking closer to home tomorrow.  You will most likely see some pictures of me at the beach tomorrow! But don't worry, I may also go back to Memorial ACTe to see their temporary exhibit or do something else ~productive~.