Introduction
Martinique is a French insular region in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It is a land of about one thousand and two hundred square kilometers inhabited by nearly four hundred thousand people of mixed ethnicities. The population mostly consists of people of African and French descent. As a result, the culture of Martinique is a mixture of both. Furthermore, the history of Martinique is rich and full of events that gave birth to one of the most peculiar cultures of the Caribbean. The focus of this paper is to analyze what part of the Martinique culture prevails and how the history of the region is covered by various sources.
Martinique’s Official Tourist Website Overview
Since the official website is mostly designed for tourists, it does not give any explicit information on the culture and history of this region (Overview). The only information that appears on the website is rather scarce and covers the general description of the region, landscape, climate and wildlife, and demographics. There is no separate paragraph or even mention of Martinique’s history. Thus, every piece of information is insufficient to create a full picture of what the culture of Martinique represents. Needless to say, the overview is not detailed.
Martinican Culture Areas
Over the decades, Martinique was known to be shaped by French culture (The Culture of Martinique 2). However, it is also evident that this region has influences drawn from African, West Indian, and Creole cultures. Back in the 1500s, the region was mostly dominated by Carib Indians, which, nevertheless, were almost entirely dislodged by the French in the 17th century (Martinique 3).
Yet in the more recent history, Martinique had been known as a region dominated primarily by people of African descent with a minority of French (otherwise known in this region as “metropolitans”) (About the Island 5).
Although the French is inferior in numbers, the overviews of the region mostly describe Martinique’s culture as consisting of French traditions and customs mixed with African influences, while also being influenced greatly by Caribbean culture (Martinique — History and Culture 7).
It is not hard to see why the culture of Martinique is such a mixture of different influences. Across the history of this region, there had been numerous waves of migrants coming in and out of this region (Tradition and culture in Martinique 1). These waves of migrations consisted of different people led by different goals. There were pioneers led by their urge to discover new continents, slaves that came to earn their living, and the local population which is now mostly replaced by different ethnicities. Although coming in search of different things, all of these visits left an imprint on the land that would contribute to the cultural diversity the region now possesses.
Conclusion
All in all, there is no point in denying the fact that the French culture is dominating in the region. However, the population, on the other hand, consists mostly of people of African descent. Therefore, there is a high diversity both in the base culture of the region and its customs and traditional cuisine, clothes, etc. The current version of the tourist website, however, fails to represent any of these points. Probably due to recent changes, the website now only gives useful information (local phone codes, directions, etc.) and does not cover history, demographics, or any other topics of interest.
Works Cited
“About the Island.”Martinica Online. Web.
“Martinique.”World Culture Encyclopedia. Web.
“Martinique — History and Culture.”iExplore. Web.
“Overview.”La Martinique. Web.
“The Culture of Martinique.” Caribiya. Web.
“Tradition and culture in Martinique.” AZMartinique. Web.