Singing and dancing in their disguises, residents of Fort-de-France and Pointe-à-Pitre this week braved the ban on parade during the traditional carnival because of Covid-19.
Dressed in red and black, nearly 500 people marched Tuesday evening in the streets of Fort-de-France, the accesses of which were however closed to carnivals.
Wolf on the nose but without a mask on his mouth, one of them told AFP that he had come "
to show the authorities that it is not they who decide
".
Read also: Guadeloupe: after a prohibited parade, the prefecture announces prosecutions
Because this carnival is illegal.
Every day, since Sunday, they are hundreds to "
run the empty
".
This is what these traditional popular wanderings are called.
Covid-19 requires, they were banned this year.
The city was therefore closed to traffic every afternoon.
Instead, the town hall of Fort-de-France and several carnival associations organized a “
different carnival
”, within the walls of the Pierre-Aliker stadium with a capacity of 5,000 people per day.
An event quickly shunned by the public in favor of illegal carnivals.
We disobey a little.
We are so used to our carnival and with all these Covid problems, people are locked in their homes, they are bullied so they need to let off steam anyway
Juliette, a participant in the “vide” of Fort-de-France
On Tuesday, several gendarmerie vans were positioned in front of the accesses to the center of Fort-de-France to prevent the passage of carnival riders.
A roadblock that gave rise to some scuffles at the end of the day, some disgruntled throwing stones at the police who responded with tear gas bombs.
Several garbage cans were also set on fire.
The prefect of Martinique condemned the unauthorized demonstrations and the violence that took place against the security forces on Tuesday in a statement.
Continuing the tradition
Far from the clashes, the "
empties
" continued.
Everyone knows he is illegal and flees the cameras, wanting to remain anonymous.
“
It's our tradition, our carnival is ours.
Their stadium does not interest us!
One of the participants said, a little away from the crowd, holding her toddler daughter by the hand.
A little further on, another confided in suffering from back pain but “
I missed the carnival, I wanted to carry on the tradition as I do every year.
It's completely political, it's like a commitment to say that we want freedom and that it is not legitimate.
(...) Celebrating carnival in a stadium doesn't make sense.
However, I put on a mask because I am still alerted to what is going on and about the Covid that is circulating.
"
By the side of the road, Juliette went out to watch the show.
At her age, she has already seen many carnivals.
This one makes her smile: "
we disobey a little.
We are so used to our carnival and with all these Covid problems, people are locked in their homes, they are bullied so they need to let off steam anyway
”.
"
What thrills all Guadeloupe
"
In Pointe-à-Pitre, capital of the island of Guadeloupe, around forty Guadeloupeans also celebrated Shrove Tuesday to the sound of a group of ka, traditional music, in a somewhat isolated area of the city , defying Tuesday evening the ban on parades.
“
It's true that there is the Covid, there are the variants.
We try to be very careful, to keep safe distances, even if it is difficult.
It is true that it is a gathering, but we must mark what the elders have left us
, ”explains a young man, his face hidden by a bandana.
"
It's super important because the ka is what thrills all Guadeloupe
", adds another young man.
"
Several hundred people
", according to local media, had already gathered to march on Shrove Sunday, provoking the ire of the Prefecture which announced that it would launch proceedings.
At the beginning of February, a "
savage tumble (parade)
" in Morne-à-l'Eau north of Grande-Terre, had resulted, after identification of the participants, in around thirty tickets issued for "
violation of the ban on gatherings. of more than 6 people
”.
