Instead of saying that there will be no carnival in Guadeloupe in 2021, perhaps it should have been said that there will be no parades in the streets since almost all the towns and cities of the archipelago organize these large popular gatherings that do not appreciate Covid-19.
Indeed, while we thought Guadeloupe carnival, scheduled from January 3 to February 17, 2021, was died and buried since the statement by the Prefect last November 10, we learned in a press release, dated 15 December, sent to us by the communication service of the Prefecture of Guadeloupe, “the opening of an exceptional support fund by the State, the Region and the Department that will allow the financial support of the carnival actors (…)”.
The French State, the Region and the Department say they are mobilizing because “carnival is a real part of Guadeloupean heritage and culture, and participates in the economic activity of the territory”. Thus, “because of the health risk and the consequences on the carnival season, the Prefecture, thanks to the support of the French Ministry of Culture, the Regional Council and the Departmental Council, have jointly established a support fund whose objective will be to launch a call for projects in order to support initiatives adapted to the health crisis”.
In concrete terms, this tripartite call for projects will be launched in the first quarter of 2021. The two major local authorities – Région Guadeloupe and Département Guadeloupe – will each contribute €50,000 and the State, through the Ministry of Culture, will add €100,000, i.e. a grant of €200,000.
Shortly, a working group made up of the services of the Regional Directorate for Culture of Guadeloupe (DAC), the Regional Council and the Departmental Council will define the modalities and then examine the different projects.
