Versatility in the French-speaking Carribean

Having any discussion on Chapter 2 of Tour De Force is hardly complete without mentioning the versatility of these Francophone Caribbean nations. Let's look at a few examples of versatility from the book and an extra example from an external source.

1) When looking for examples of versatility in the French-speaking Caribbean, Negritude is the first thing that pops out at me. According to Gangelhoff and LeGrand, "Negritude was a literary movement of African- and Caribbean-French writers and intellectuals that arose in the 1930s, inspired in some part by the Harlem Renaissance in the United States during the culturally rich 'roaring 20s.'" (Tour De Force) I consider this to be a very versatile movement because it accomplishes a variety of things. For starters, in Tour De Force it mentions, "the goals of the Negritude movement was to affirm pride in shared African heritage and retention of African cultural traditions in the diaspora." This encouragement of the conservation of African culture was huge because, for many, this rich heritage was getting washed away by the practices and beliefs of the colonizers. Gangelhoff and LeGrand continue, "In addition to a rich literary and intellectual output, negritude also stimulated the independence, anti-colonial, and identity-building movements of the 20th century." Negritude was a powerful movement that was able to capture the feelings and emotions of many that were descendants of the African diaspora.

An example of the style of art that was common throughout contemporaries of the Negritude movement.

Retrieved from "Black Past"
https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/negritude-movement/

This is a video essay explaining the origins of Negritude as a movement. He touches on the leading figures, poetry, philosophies, and impact of the movement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNVLRsP7grQ

2) Though an amazing movement and a wonderful example of versatility, this was not the only thing to come out of Martinique with the capability of accomplishing multiple goals. The Odondo, a West African drum, has a very unique quirk. According to Tour De Force, these instruments "... are capable of quick variations of pitch." Gangelhoff and LeGrand go on to say that "Talking drums..." as they are often called, "...will constantly change pitch according to the changing pressure applied by the player." The drums are shaped like an hourglass to make it easy for them to be held under the arm. Whenever the drummer is ready, they can squeeze on cords connected to goatskin that wrap around the drum and make the goatskin taught mid-use. Though there are many examples of instruments that can change in pitch, I chose this one because this was the first that I had seen of an instrument that can change during the actual performance. This to me is the spitting image of versatility in action!

An image of the odondo drum, a.k.a. 'the talking drum.'  

Retrieved from Spinditty.com 

https://spinditty.com/instruments-gear/The-Talking-Drum-The-Talking-Drum-Kalangu-Gungun-Odondo-drum

This is a short video showcasing the pitch-changing properties of the odondo and how it is used.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hrtbZVO6Ng

3) The odondo drum was a great example of versatility in the French-speaking Caribbean, but what if we expand a bit for this next entry and take a look at the entire country of Guadeloupe. More specifically, the geological setup of the archipelago is quite diverse. According to Global Security, "One part of the territory is characterized by a mountainous landscape and tropical forests, the other a flatter landscape with mangrove swamp to the southwest." This makes the land itself very versatile, catering to various crops and a wide variety of wildlife. Additionally, Global Security goes on to say that "Much of the coastline of Guadeloupe benefits from the protection of coral reefs." With the coral reefs breaking the waves and the mountains breaking the winds, any incoming storms will have a hard time effectively penetrating this island archipelago. 

A picture showing a top side view of Guadeloupe on the map.

Retrieved from "French Caribbean"

https://frenchcaribbean.com/Guadeloupe/Helpful-Info/Maps/

A short video that briefly covers Guadelopue's geology and a volcano that has been very active in recent years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-dfamIstAY

References

Gangelhoff, Christine, and Cathleen Legrand. Tour De Force: A Musical Journey of the Caribbean. Sound Caribbean, 2019. 

Micklin, Anna. “Negritude Movement .” Black Past, 13 Aug. 2019, https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/negritude-movement/.

“What Is Négritude? (Movement).” Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNVLRsP7grQ.

Femi. “Kalangu, Gangan, Odondo: An Exploration of the Talking Drums of Africa.” Spinditty, Spinditty, 4 Feb. 2014, https://spinditty.com/instruments-gear/The-Talking-Drum-The-Talking-Drum-Kalangu-Gungun-Odondo-drum.

“African Drumming - Rhythms of West Africa - Tamafola - YouTube.” Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hrtbZVO6Ng.

“Guadeloupe Maps: French Caribbean.” The Leading Resource for Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Barts and St. Martin, https://frenchcaribbean.com/Guadeloupe/Helpful-Info/Maps/.

“The Active Volcano in the Caribbean; Soufrière ... .” Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-dfamIstAY.