While many visitors to Martinique regard it for its beauty and the fruits of its labor — think: lush gardens, world-class rum, and award-winning chocolate — the most captivating aspect of the French territory is the people.
Martinique has long produced Black artists, musicians, wordsmiths, and activists committed to embodying the distinct experience of being a Black minority in a French society. After chatting with a few locals, you’ll quickly discover that while people officially refer to Martinique as the “Island of Flowers,” it is unofficially an island of passionate creators.
There’s certainly something in the water in the best way in this creativity-inducing paradise. Poet and politician, the late Aimé Césaire is one of the most famous figures as a founder of the Négritude movement in Francophone literature. Martinican psychiatrist and philosopher Frantz Fanon has been described as “the most influential anticolonial thinker of his time.” Alpha Jenny was a performer whose singing landed her alongside Duke Ellington and Josephine Baker. Jenny’s acting abilities also led to roles in over a hundred theater productions and movies.
But alongside the Martinican-born icons whose legacies remain in their absence, the island continues to honor its living legends. A destination every creator and inspired person should bask in at least once, meet the living island icons of Martinique.
Mounia
Monique-Antoine Orosemane, known simply as “Mounia,” made history as the world’s first Black haute couture model. In the late 1970s, Mounia became the first Black model to work with Parisian designers and walk in high-end fashion shows.
The naturally ethereal beauty was discovered by Hubert de Givenchy while in training at AirFrance in Paris’s Orly Airport. After declining Givenchy’s interest in working with her three times, the designer finally convinced Mounia to visit his showroom. Her world changed instantly after that meeting, eventually connecting with and becoming the muse of Yves Saint Laurent.
Mounia beauty and prowess as a model resulted in seven ESSENCE covers and numerous Vogue, French Vogue, and Ebony spreads. She was the first Black model to walk for Chanel. She also taught several of the it-girls of 90s fashion, like Naomi Campbell, how to own the runway. Today, she still accepts invitations to show the girls how it’s done at commemorative fashion shows. Always imagining, she now channels her creativity through painting, nurturing her outlet in the art studio of her Martinique home.
Laurent Valére
One of Martinique’s most visited sites — CAP 110, The Anse Caffard Memorial — is the creative work of Martinican master sculptor Laurent Valére. A significant work of art in the south of the island, a triangular arrangement of 15 leaning busts holds the story of a painful history and Martinique’s last shipwreck of a slave ship.
Located on a cliffside in the Anse Caffard area, the site is the presumed burial ground of at least 40 enslaved Africans whose lives were lost in the tragic incident. In April 1830, an illegal ship transporting hundreds of enslaved people shipwrecked on the rocks of Anse Caffard, leaving only 86 survivors. To honor this story and commemorate 150 years since the abolition of slavery, Valére was entrusted with the memorial’s creation. The result was CAP 110 — a somber but grand way to honor the lives lost during the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
The massive eight-foot-tall figures tower over visitors while overlooking the sea. Honoring the route the ship likely traveled, the formation faces the direction of the Gulf of Guinea. Representing the color of mourning in the Caribbean and West Africa, each bust is crafted with white concrete. However, the weather has worn its once-pristine material since its installation in 1998.
A meeting point for locals and a top site for visitors, this formidable memorial continues to preserve this significant part of Martinique’s history. Having already cemented his legacy with such a creation, Valére has maintained his artistry through the 2000s. His most recent solo exhibition happened in 2018, but you can still catch him around the island if you’re lucky.
Gilbert Larose
The capacity of Black creativity is evident through the vision Gilbert Larose has brought to life at La Savane Des Esclaves, which translates to The Slave Savannah. Larose built the open-air museum for many years as a team of one. His motivation is personal, a calling to remember the history and heritage of enslaved people in Martinique.
The unfiltered reality of a world where Black bodies were considered property is documented through physical spaces, videos, and educational illustrations. A rare attraction in the Caribbean, Larose built everything you’ll see on the 322,000-square-foot hillside village in Trois-Îlets. Twenty-five reconstructed thatched-roof huts are reminders of the harsh conditions of living and gathering spaces.
A Creole garden and medicinal garden bear fruit for fresh juices while recalling the self-sufficiency of enslaved Martinicans. Larose’s passion and will to persist preserves 400 years of history for locals and visitors to discover, learn, and reflect.
Guy Ferdinand
If resilience were a person, that person would probably look like Guy (ghee) Ferdinand. Affectionately known as Chef Hot Pants, to call Ferdinand a craftsman and a character would be an understatement.
The experience Ferdinand has created over the last 20 years with his beachfront restaurant, Le Petibonum, is the prototype for a perfect day in Martinique. Located on a black sand beach in Le Carbet, Le Petibonum delivers the casual bliss of a beach bar with the seafood selection and farm-to-table food of premium dining.
Formerly an airplane mechanic, Chef Guy left his high-paying career in Paris to follow his homegrown love of cooking. The result was a beloved bar that visitors have returned to time and again for fun, food, and familiarity. Caribbean Journal awarded Le Petibonum the Caribbean Beach Bar of the Year in 2015.
In 2022, the same night tragedy arrived in the form of a devastating, unexplained restaurant fire, Chef Guy declared to rebuild. Never wavering in his passion, the ambitious chef did just that – defying ill-doers with an establishment twice its original size. An inspiration and island ambassador, a visit to Chef Guy at Le Petibonum is a must-visit on your itinerary when visiting Martinique.
Claude Ziouka
Fewer things are more satisfying than a cool treat on a warm day, something Claude Ziouka knows very well. Founder of Ziouka Glaces, the ice cream artisan is internationally famous for his 100% natural ice creams and unique flavors.
The small corner shop opened in Le Carbet in 1999 with a handful of sidewalk seating. Locals and recurring visitors cherish this sweet escape, especially when exploring the island’s north side. Some say you haven’t been to Martinique if you haven’t been to Ziouka Glaces.
Michelin-starred chefs are said to fawn over the variety of flavors. Local fruits like mango, crab apples, and guava inspire ice cream profiles not often seen elsewhere. Ziouka’s best-selling flavor is a cassava ice cream, but equally intriguing alternatives include lemongrass, sweet pepper, and corn ice cream.
Nearly 30 years later, Ziouka still works in the shop alongside his son, Christophe, to create new gourmet combinations.
When needing a dose of creativity to spark your own, Martinique is a destination that quickly fills the void. Amid its vibrant, aesthetically rejuvenating landscape, creators and innovators flourish in their craft. The Caribbean’s embrace can surely be felt throughout the region, but this island’s embrace is a respite for the dreamers.
