Martinique by Madinin'art
September 2014 sees Hassane Kouyaté starting as the Director of the EPCC (Public Institution of Cultural Cooperation: members include the French State, regional and local authorities and cultural institutions) located at the Atrium.
The Atrium is a massive building of the last nineties with two venues for performances holding each 970 and 270 spectators, 3 rehearsal halls, 1 exhibition hall and a restaurant. The Atrium can be compared to the National Academy of Performing Arts in Port of Spain.It should be able in the semester to come to retrieve its “Scène Nationale” label (National scene label:a network of scenes partly funded by the French state): it is the first mission of its new director.
Martinique’s recurrent cultural event is the annual ‘Festival Culturel de Fort de France’ (Cultural Festival of Fort de France) initiated by Aimé Césaire and organised by the city of Fort de France (that he headed for more than 40 years).
It always takes place in July with indoor and outdoor performances, public discussions called ‘cenacles’ consisting in talks previously held on the great park of the Savanna when television as not as popular as it is now.
The ‘Festival Culturel de Fort de France’ schedules a majority of local artists. There are also international spectacles programmed, often from Russia, owing to its political links with Fort de France historically linked with communism and also from Africa where Cé-saire’s Négritude spread.
In 2014, with six shows of the Soweto Gospel Choir,a tribute was paid to South Africa to honour the memory of the newly passed Nelson Mandela.
The festival ends in a way the cultural season and precedes the stages of patronal feasts during the ‘Tour des Yoles Rondes’, skiffs’ contest, that provides work to musical artists. There is also the ‘Festival Biguine Jazz’ organised by the SACEM (the institution that collects royalties). There, free live performances throughout the island showcase the last productions of local jazz.
An unmissable place for drama in Martinique is the ‘Théâtre Aimé Césaire’ (Aimé Césaire Theater). It is managed by Michelle Césaire his daughter and strives, despite political changes and the impact it can have on fundings, to maintain a regular programme for its faithful audience. Next season’s theme is ‘Résistance Créative’ (Creative Resistance). Local and national plays are generally lined up.
Madinind'Art recommends also the cultural center Fonds Saint-Jacques.
All the Festival on Madinin'Art
Madinin’art is a website with reliable content that provides critical information on the cultural martiniquese activities since 2003. They propose some content for KAMACUKA.
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