Renowned poet and politician recognized worldwide, but also father of Negritude and an entire country, Aimé Césaire has forever marked Martinique with his art as transcendent as it is important. Highly appreciated, he has throughout his life proved to be a great militant for the creole language and the Antillean identity. He is also one of the most important intellectual figures of the 20th century.
Whether in school or on your own, you have surely already read some of Césaire at least once. If you wish to immerse yourself in the poet’s spirit and discover one of the emblematic places that allowed him to be an influential person, it is an unavoidable place to go through!
Aimé Césaire House Martinique: The Poet's Haven
Born in 1913 in Basse-Pointe, the former deputy mayor of Fort-de-France, Aimé Césaire, is a poet known and recognized internationally! Yes, we can be more than proud of our culture and poetry that has traveled the world! The son of a seamstress and a tax collector, he attended the Schoelcher high school and then flew to Paris in 1931 to attend Louis-le-Grand high school. During his time there, he made many important connections, including Ousmane Socé Diop, a future Senegalese politician, and Léopold Sédar Senghor, a great Guyanese poet.
In 1934, he co-founded L'Étudiant Noir with other students from the Caribbean, Guyana, and Africa, where the word "négritude" first appeared. The following year, he joined the Young Communists, married Suzanne Roussi in 1937, and published Cahier d'un retour au pays natal in 1939.
He is, of course, one of the originators of the literary movement known as Negritude, along with the Nardal sisters, Léon Gontran Damas, Léopold Sédar Senghor, and many others.
Continuing to be highly prolific, he created the journal "Tropiques" in 1941 to encourage the people of Martinique to reflect and refocus, and in 1945, he became the mayor of Fort-de-France.
It's safe to say that he had a rich and diverse career, wouldn't you agree?
Everything You Need to Know About Aimé Césaire's House
Built in the 20th century and located in the Redoute neighborhood in the city of Fort-de-France, this simple and unpretentious Creole villa was Aimé Césaire's primary residence from the 1960s until his death in 2008.
The house was later acquired by the municipality to be declared a historic monument in 2014, and it is now open to the public for visits. In 2018, it also benefited from the "Loto du Patrimoine," a heritage lottery, aimed at restoring and rehabilitating the dwelling, as well as showcasing the entire body of work created over a lifetime.
This house, a great source of inspiration for the poet, is a true haven of peace consisting of several rooms, a garden, and a library with over 3,000 books and ethnographic objects such as masks and African statuettes.
In the study, there is a cupboard that can be converted into two rooms: a workspace and a resting place. Here, it is an invitation to travel, an inevitable entry into the poet's intimacy, revealing his passions, small mementos (photos, maps, letters, botanical encyclopedias, etc.), his favorite corners, and fragments of his thoughts. Little stories, anecdotes, and various pieces of information await you in this place as unique as it is authentic!
Césaire said, "I always have hope because I believe in humanity. It may be stupid. The voice of humanity is to accomplish humanity, to become self-aware." So, visiting this museum is a great way to gain insight into Césaire's vision of humanity and the world.
Today, the place is a space for exchanges, meetings, and cultural events closely associated with Aimé Césaire's memory.
The house is open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. You'll have to tell us how it was!
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