Editing Martinique (section)

==Culture==
[[File:Martinique Costumes.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Martinique dancers in traditional dress]]
{{Main|Culture of Martinique}}

As an overseas ''département'' of France, Martinique's culture has blended the French, African and [[Caribbean]] influences. The city of Saint-Pierre (destroyed by a volcanic eruption of [[Mount Pelée]]), was often referred to as the "Paris of the [[Lesser Antilles]]". Following traditional French custom, many businesses close at midday to allow a lengthy lunch, then reopen later in the afternoon.

Today, Martinique has a higher standard of living than most other Caribbean countries. French products are easily available, from [[Chanel]] fashions to [[Limoges porcelain]]. Studying in the ''métropole'' (mainland France, especially Paris) is common for young adults. Martinique has been a vacation hotspot for many years, attracting both upper-class French and more budget-conscious travelers.

===Cuisine===
Martinique has a hybrid cuisine, mixing elements of African, French, Carib Amerindian and [[culture of India|Indian subcontinental]] traditions. One of its most famous dishes is the Colombo (compare [[kuzhambu]] ({{langx|ta|குழம்பு}}) for gravy or broth), a unique curry of chicken (curry chicken), meat or fish with vegetables, spiced with a distinctive ''[[Masala (spice)|masala]]'' of Tamil origins, sparked with [[tamarind]], and often containing wine, [[coconut milk]], [[cassava]] and rum. A strong tradition of Martiniquan desserts includes cakes made with pineapple, rum, and a wide range of local ingredients.

===Literature===
[[File:Bibliothèque Schoelcher à Fort de France.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Schoelcher Library]]
Sisters [[Jeanne Nardal]] and [[Paulette Nardal]] were involved in the creation of the [[Négritude]] movement. [[Yva Léro]] was a writer and painter who co-founded the Women's Union of Martinique. [[Marie-Magdeleine Carbet|Anna Marie-Magdeleine]] wrote with her partner under the pseudonym Carbet.

[[Aimé Césaire]] is perhaps Martinique's most famous writer; he was one of the main figures in the Négritude literary movement.<ref>Ben A. Heller "Césaire, Aimé", in Daniel Balderston et al. (eds) ''Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean Literature, 1900–2003'', London: Routledge, pp. 128–30, 128.</ref> [[René Ménil]] was a surrealist writer who founded the journal ''[[Tropiques]]'' with Aimé and [[Suzanne Césaire]] and later formulated the concept of [[Antillanité]]. Other surrealist writers of that era included [[Étienne Léro]] and [[Jules Monnerot]], who co-founded the journal ''Légitime Défense'' with [[Simone Yoyotte]] and Ménil. [[Édouard Glissant]] was later influenced by Césaire and Ménil, and in turn had an influence on [[Patrick Chamoiseau]], who founded the [[Créolité]] movement with [[Raphaël Confiant]] and [[Jean Bernabé]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} [[Raphaël Confiant]] was a poetry, prose and non-fiction writer who supports Creole and tries to bring both French and Martinican Creole together in his work.<ref name="Hardwick-2006" /> He is specifically known for his contribution to the [[Créolité]] movement.

[[Frantz Fanon]], a prominent critic of colonialism and racism, was also from Martinique.

===Music===
{{See also|Music of Martinique}}

Martinique has a large popular music industry, which gained in international renown after the success of [[Zouk (musical movement)|zouk]] music in the later 20th century. Zouk's popularity was particularly intense in France, where the genre became an important symbol of identity for Martinique and Guadeloupe.<ref name=Rough>Ledesma and Scaramuzzo, pp. 289–303</ref> Zouk's origins are in the folk music of Martinique and Guadeloupe, especially Martinican [[chouval bwa]], and Guadeloupan [[gwo ka]]. There's also notable influence of the pan-Caribbean [[calypso music|calypso]] tradition and Haitian [[compas|kompa]].

=== Film ===
{{Main|List of films shot in Martinique}}

Martinique has been the site for filming many films,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Curley |first=Bob |date=2020-03-26 |title=24 Movies That Will Take You to the Caribbean Right Now |url=https://www.caribjournal.com/2020/03/26/caribbean-movies-filmed-set-take/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Caribbean Journal |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ramzi |first=Lilah |date=2020-07-02 |title=A Guide to the Most Scenic Films Shot in the Caribbean |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/travel-via-cinema-caribbean |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Vogue |language=en-US}}</ref> including movies, TV shows, and documentaries. The [[Martinique Film Commission]] offers [[aid]] opportunities, including residence grants, writing assistance, development assistance and production assistance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Martinique Film Commission |url=https://www.filmfrance.net/en/plan-your-production/film-commissions/martinique-film-commission/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Film France CNC |language=en-US}}</ref> 

=== Symbols and flags ===
{{Main|Flag of Martinique}}
Martinique adopted a new flag on February 2, 2023, featuring a red triangle at the hoist and two horizontal bands of green and black. The flag of France is also flown alongside it as the country's parent country. A previous competition to create a flag in 2018 was annulled by the local administrative tribunal, but the island began a new public vote in 2022, with the hummingbird design being selected as the winner. However, the designer withdrew her design due to accusations of plagiarism, and the runner-up design, the rouge-vert-noir ("red-green-black"), was adopted. This flag is also the preferred symbol of Martinique's independence movement.

<gallery mode="small" class="center">
Image:Flag of the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique.svg|The Ipséité is a civil flag, designed for use in international cultural and sporting events to represent the territory
Image:MARTINIQUE TAEKWONDO DRAPEAU.svg|Flag sometimes used by Martinique in taekwondo competitions
Image:Snake Flag of Martinique.svg|A St Michael cross with white snakes. Also called the 'snake flag' of Martinique. Its use is sometimes controversial.
Image:Flag of the Front National de Libération de la Martinique.svg|Also called ‘red, green and black’, this flag is used by the independence movement.
Image:Flag-of-Martinique.svg|Flag of Martinique adopted on February 2, 2023
</gallery>

<gallery mode="small" class="center">
Image:BlasonMartinique.svg|Coat of arms based on the controversial 'snake flag'. Its use by the [[National Gendarmerie]] was ended in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=By order of the President, the gendarmerie in Martinique will no longer wear the emblem with the 4 snakes! |url=https://www.makacla.com/Sur-ordre-du-President-la-gendarmerie-en-Martinique-ne-portera-plus-l-embleme-aux-4-serpents-_a5946.html |website=Makacla |access-date=14 October 2020 |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424035240/https://www.makacla.com/Sur-ordre-du-President-la-gendarmerie-en-Martinique-ne-portera-plus-l-embleme-aux-4-serpents-_a5946.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
</gallery>