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It's good to learn the basic words of the country you are going to. People smile when you try to tell them something.

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Points of culture of Guadeloupe were all over the city of Pointe a Pitre:
Memorial ACTE in memory of those who were victims of the slave trade
Music
Food
Crafts
Nature

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Κaterina: I thought Guadelupe is a beautiful place for vacations. Now I know it used to be a place of tortures.  Today I felt like the day I visited the Auschwitz. 

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Κaterina: I thought Guadelupe is a beautiful place for vacations. Now I know it used to be a place of tortures.  Today I felt like the day I visited the Auschwitz. 

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Today, we went to Pointe-à-Pitre to visit the Memorial Acte museum. During history lessons in secondary school, slavery was discussed thoroughly, but it feels surreal to stand on the places where these events took place. We saw the place that was used as a slave market until the beginning of the 20th century. I also learned that the influence that France wants to continue to exert is enormous. There is a 40% tax on all imported products and only 16% of the energy is renewable, which is strange for an island where there is so much sun, wind and water. Next, we talked about the culture that has developed here in the context of slavery, the culture of the locals, and the origin of the various cultural elements. We talked about the Creole language, which has a French vocabulary and an African grammar system, the typical checked cotton cloths with bright colours that were imported from India, which was an English colony at the time, their techniques for creating jewellery and drums, the food etc. Walking through the streets of Poite-à-Pitre, I found that these elements are still very present in the streets today and give shape to the national identity of the population.

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12 Years a Slave 2013   Roll Jordan Roll

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On 27 May, 1848,  the slaves in Guadeloupe were finally freed and the slave trade ended once and for all (officially).
And yet, the people were still classified as the superior and the inferior races...
The Prime Minister of France, Jules Ferry in his justification of colonization policy told his parliament: "I repeat that the superior races have a right because they have a duty. They have the duty to civilize the inferior races...."
And yet...
The "inferior race" has more connections with humanity, spirituality, community that brings them in unity above all the sufferings and hardships... So much to appreciate and so much to learn from them!
The lesson of today: no matter what happens to us we will always keep our cultural values to re-create and rebuild our communities. That's why it is important to help children to find these values at a young age. And the best tool to get them going is through international contacts!
*** [Ferry was twice prime minister of France, from [1880-1881, 1883-1885]. He is especially remembered for promoting laws that removed Catholic influence from most education in France and vast extension of the French colonial empire.]

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12 Years a Slave 2013   Roll Jordan Roll

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You have to taste a culture to understand it

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Today we headed for the industrial capital of Guadeloupe: Pointe-à-Pitre. During the bus ride I was already amazed: the landscape here is so different from what I am used to in Belgium. The various panels promoting beauty treatments for Mother's Day caught my eye. There is a clear ideal of beauty that is pursued here; something that is less prevalent here in Belgium today.
Arriving in Pointe-à-Pitre I was struck by the difference between rich and poor: the chic state buildings and the impressive ACTe Museum stood in stark contrast to the colonial houses and the remains of the slave market. What will stay with me the most from today is the wealth this island possesses: so many hours of sunshine, so much wind power, so much water energy, so many home grown fruits and vegetables, .... And yet so little is done with this. Only 16% of their energy supply comes from renewable energy. In addition, there are 40% more taxes on imported goods. Figures that are difficult to grasp and where the colonial past is already around the corner. It shows how France wants/can continue to exercise its power over the colonies.

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Beautiful women love beautiful things. It is like that all over the world :)

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A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

Marcus Garvey