Kalalu festival à ST Lucie les 11&12 avril

4e édition de Kalalu festival, premier festival musique du monde de la région.
C'est bien, c'est varié, c'est safe, c'est pas cher (60 EC$ par jour).

venez tous ! / everybody is invited !
I will be liason officer for the soukouss band - it will shake all over...

Martinique signed agreement saturday

I want to congratulate all my martinican friends about the agreement signed by all parties in Martinique saturday.
This agreement is incredible, it includes all aspect of social and economic life of the island and was signed by representatives of all sectors...

While St Lucia is celebrating the 30th Independance anniversary, we can observe some similarities in the societies.

A beautiful text "CONTRE LES ETATS GENERAUX EN GUADELOUPE ET MARTINIQUE
VIVANTS !" from Patrick Chomoiseau was published by Le Monde the 13th of March.

Annette Mbaye D'Erneville

Please meet my Antie from Senegal - an amazing women, journalist, poet, feminist, curator, writer and the most alive and funny person I know.

Here is the link to a film "Mere Bi" (The mother) made by her son Willy Mbaye. enjoy.
The movie


Annette MBAYE D'ERNEVILLE (born in 1926)

Annette M'baye was born in Sokone Senegal in 1926. Unlike many of her contemporaries,Annette M'Baye was educated primarily in Senegal, receiving her teaching degree from the École Normale d'Institutrices (Teacher's College) in Rufisque, 1945. After a short tenure as the General Superintendent of the École Normale in Rufisique, M'baye left Senegal to study teaching and education in Paris. Upon her return to Senegal in 1959, M'baye became a reporter and (in 1960) the commissary of the Regional Information in Diourbel. In 1963 M'baye founded and became principal editor of the Senegalese women's magazine "Awa." Still immersed in journalism, she became Program Director of Radio Senegal shortly thereafter.

Throughout her various careers, M'baye continued writing poetry. While she does not completely avoid the African struggle for independence, M'baye rarely ventures into the political treatises of her Senegalese colleagues, David Diop and Leopold Sedar Senghor. Her two published volumes explore her love for humanity, the trials of human endeavor, and, especially, the power of women in African society. Highly personal and stylized, her work continues the African poetry tradition of her generation by breaking at the walls of free-form expression.

http://www.ina.fr/archivespourtous/index.php?vue=notice&id_notice=CPD09001141

Martinique and Guadeloupe: the end of revolution...

An agreement was signed yesterday in Martinique between french goverment, entrepreneurs and Unions united in the Comittee of the 5th February.
The strike is over with schools reopening today even if the situation still a little confuse. The agreement on 200€ raise of minimum wage is done... still a lot of people are unemployed and the international crisis will impact on the island.

The maire of Fort de France, Serge Letchimy collapse after his intervention between a group of Banana farmers, Committee members and Police. The rumor gave him dead ! but he is ok now...

more info later...


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Selon l''AFP, "L'accord sur les salaires a été signé dans la nuit de mercredi, le collectif annonce sa volonté d'assouplir le mouvement, l'école pourrait reprendre partout et les zones devraient rouvrir.
Seule la grande distribution risque de rester fermée.
"C'est le début de la sortie de la crise" explique Michel Monrose, président du collectif.

Après la signature dans la nuit d’un accord sur les bas salaires entre le patronat et le "Collectif du 5 février", qui mène le mouvement contre la vie chère depuis près de cinq semaines, la Martinique se dirigeait mercredi vers la fin de la grève...
Patronat et Collectif ont fait suffisamment de compromis pour parvenir à définir le smic qui servira de référence pour bénéficier de la prime de 200 euros nets (pour les bas salaires jusqu’à 1,4 smic) et les revalorisations pour les salaires au-dessus (entre 1,4 et 1,6 smic) et au-delà de 1,6 smic. Le salaire de référence choisi est un 1/12e de la rémunération annuelle (incluant les primes et le 13e mois pour ceux qui en reçoivent un). Sur cette base, 47.000 personnes vont bénéficier des 200 euros, soit plus de 60% des salariés du privé.

Une augmentation de 4 % est actée pour les 8.400 salariés gagnant entre 1,4 et 1,6 smic, et une de 2% pour les 22.000 salariés au-delà de 1,6 smic. Cet accord est applicable à compter du 1er mars. "Nous avons fait de gros efforts pour sortir de ce conflit, a déclaré."

A video on riot in Martinique this week

A lot of people ask me about the situation in Martinique.
St Lucie start to greet some Martinican coming over to shop ! this is funny. Remember the timle of the Dissidence, when Martinican came over to runaway from french Government during the second world war.

Well, 4 days ago it was hot there. Some Beke gave money to Dock guys for them to release some containers of goods. The 5th February committee block the containers and the Police came to assist. The Police shot on people. Fortunately nobody was injured... but the tension still big there.
The school reopen this week. Wait and see.

have a look:

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1007692647696

thanks to Thierry Porchel for his movie.

Iyanola Book Fair and Literary Festival - March 20th – 22nd 2009

Iyanola Book Fair and Literary Festival
March 20th – 22nd 2009
Independence 30, 2009
Open Campus, UWI, Saint Lucia

Draft programme:

FRIDAY March 20th — Opening Ceremony 8-9h

Voices – Part 1(5 readers, 4 mins each)
Jacques Compton, Michael Aubertin, George Goddard, Gabriel Auguste, Maria Fontenelle, McDonald Dixon.

The culminating piece is a choral reading of Walcott’s poem, Sainte Lucie which will allow for,but not depend upon, participation by all.

8.00 pm Fair and Festival declared open by H.E. Governor General

Refreshments
Performances by Folk Music Band


SATURDAY March 21st

12: 00 noon Book Fair, Art & Crafts Exhibitions open

9.30 am – 1.00pm Workshop on Creative writing
Workshop leader: Mervyn Morris, Jamaica

9:30 am – 1:00 pm Workshop on CXC Theatre Arts
Workshop leader: Rawle Gibbons, Trinidad

9:30 am – 1:00 pm Seminar on desktop publishing (SALCC)

10.00 am – 12 noon, “Literature for children” - Children’s workshop: readings, dramatizations, their own work etc.
Workshop leader: Angel Caglin

10.00 am – 1:00 pm Symposium on “Literatures in Kweyol” (with participants from St. Lucia, Dominica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Cayenne.)
Co-ordinator: Lindy-Ann Alexander


LUNCH BREAK FOOD COURTS

2.00 pm – 3.00 pm Voices - Part II [8 readers @ 6 mins each]
Anderson Reynolds, Modeste Downes, Rudy Gurley, Rudy Avril, Tyshia Julitta,
Esther Phillips (B’dos), Fish Alphonse

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm Musical Interlude: Steelpan and Flute Duo

3.30 pm – 4.30 pm Caribbean Semi-lime - 1
Interview with Reading – Mervyn Morris
(Interviewer: Royston Emmanuel)

4.30 pm – 5.30 pm Voices – Part III
Travis Weekes, Gandolph St. Clair, Villiard Tobierre, Galicia Blackman, Nasha Louis,
Nadge Augustin, Ashanti, Robert Sandiford (B’dos)

5:30 pm – 6.00 pm Fish with Lapo Kabwit

6.30 pm – 7.30 pm Caribbean Semi-lime II (The Grotto)
Interview with Reading – George Lammin
Interviewer: John Robert Lee/Alwin Bully

8.00 pm – 10 pm WORD ALIVE

10.00 pm – 11.00 pm Food court/musical entertainment

SUNDAY March 22nd

12.00 Book Fair & Exhibition Food Courts open.

2.00 pm – 4:00 pm Music and the Word on Sunday:
LRF Soundworks, Barbara Cadet,Emerson Nurse et al with: Afro Lyrix, Tanbou Mele, SAT with Stevaco, Ken Hardy, Jason Sifflet and Dianne Phillip, Ras Isley, Marcian JnPierre, Nkrumah Lucien, Marc Matthews

Culminating with Bro Resistance (T&T)

4.00 pm – 5.30 pm Voices – Part IV
Omar Perez (Cuba), Raphael Confiant?(M’tique), Joby Bernabe? (M’tique), Jane King, Robert Lee, Adrian Augier, McDonald Dixon, Hazel Simmons,

6:00 pm – 7:30 One man Performance- Kendel Hippolyte: I came upon this town

7:30 pm – 8:30 pm Finale: Book fair/Food Court/Exhibitions
Musical Entertainment