Martinique

French Overseas Department (French West Indies) / Trip with Nicolas Sarkozy (7 to 8 January 2011)

Since the 17th century, Martinique, in the French West Indies, has been one of three French Overseas Departments bordering the Americas. Despite having a population of under 400,000, it boasts a number of well-known figures in fields as diverse as sport, music, literature and politics. From singer Jocelyne Béroard and writer Patrick Chamoiseau (winner of the 1992 Prix Goncourt for Texaco) to sportsman Gaël Monfils, its cultural ambassadors are a source of pride for a people caught between two ideological currents: towards greater assimilation or greater autonomy.

Martinique is also home to a school of thought embodied particularly by writer, poet and politician Aimé Césaire, the “Bard of Black Consciousness” whose work contributed to promoting Afro-Americans’ pride and self-confidence as Blacks. Aimé Césaire retired from City Hall in the capital Fort-de-France in 2001 and from all political roles in 2005.

For the second time during his tenure as President (the first being in 2009), the Head of State is to pay a visit with his wife. On arrival, the couple will visit the home of the poet Aimé Césaire’s sister, Mireille Millou, followed by a trip to the great market of Fort-de-France. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy will then head for the La Favorite (Lamentin) district to visit a decentralised unit of the Regional Children’s Hostel, which takes care of children aged 0-6. There she will hold discussions with the Hostel Director and the manager of the association Île aux enfants.