5 things you should know about French Guiana

I was born and raised in the beautiful country of French Guiana. There is so much to say about this country that I don’t know where to start. However, I will try telling you a little about the place I came from. First of all, French Guiana is an overseas department and region of France, located on the north Atlantic coast of south America. It is the second largest region of France and the largest outermost region within the European Union with a land of 83,534 km square. Here is a map of the region of French Guiana:

Now I will give you five things that are unique about the culture and region of French Guiana.

1. Carnival is part of our culture

Carnival in French Guiana is a very important part of our culture. Every year from the end of January to about the end of march, various groups come out in the streets of French Guiana and parade in different costumes and musical groups. I remember the times during the week ends when we would go and see these characters parading in awe.

Initially, Carnival was reserved only for the colonizers in French Guiana, and the slaves of that time would have to organize their own carnival in secret. Nowadays, it has become a celebration of art and music as paraders go out onto the streets, creating new costumes while keeping traditions alive.

Here are a couple pictures of the most iconic characters that parade during Carnival:

This character is called the Neg Marrons. They represent the slaves who escaped their masters.

The jéfarin. This character reminds us of a baker who plays with the children and throws flower on them.

This character is called the touloulou. They are also known as the queens of the Carnival.

2. Easter Celebration

Roman Catholicism and religion are very present in French Guiana, and each year, our biggest celebrations are Christmas and Easter. However, we celebrate Easter a bit differently than the rest of the world, as we see it as a time to spend with our families. On this period, the most popular dish is known as the “bouillon d’Awara”. The bouillon is a heavy soup made of different types of meats and smoked fish and is centered around the flavor of the pulp of the Awara fruit. The preparation of this broth takes about 36 hours and each member of the family participates in making that delicious dish. We also have saying that surrounds the broth as “if you have it once you will return for more”.

This is the bouillon d'Awara. As messy as it may seem, it is delicious!

3. Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism I believe is the best characteristics of French Guiana. In class, I used to be friends with other students who all had different backgrounds and nationalities. Because of its borders with Suriname and Brazil, there are many immigration to French Guiana from many neighboring countries, which also includes Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia and many more. Therefore, citizens are very open minded of other cultures which ultimately creates a beautiful diversity. When you go to our farmer’s market, you will find food from different cultures such as the famous Chinese soup from the market, Brazilian acai bowls and cochinia, the Indian roti and samosa or the Surinamese bami and nassi.

This is called the "soupe chinois". You can find it at the market in Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana. This is something that I would eat with my friends on a casual weekend.

4. Nature and hiking.

If you love adventures and the nature, French Guiana is the perfect location for you. With most of its land still left untouched, French Guiana is perfect for the lovers of nature and hiking. These are a couple of hiking trails that we have on our land:

- The “sentier du rorota” is a place where you can go hiking and also have a beautiful view of the forest and different kind of animals. I actually went there went I went to Junior High and it was amazing experience. It took us about two hours to get to the top and we had an amazing view of the forest from the top.

- The l’Isle et la mere is an island you can go visit by taking the boat in Kourou, a city located 45 minutes away from the capital Cayenne. We also have a little hiking trail on that island from where you will be able to see little monkey called squirrel monkey that will steal your food if you’re not careful enough.

Here is a picture of a Saimiri. I always have to guard my food from them every time I visit the Island.

5. Indian Tribes

There are six indigenous peoples who still habit the land in French Guiana: the Kali’na, Pahikweneh, Lokono, Wayana, Wayapi and Teko.

It is difficult to determine the exact number of indigenous people, as the French government refuses to allow a census out of respect for the ethnic minorities. They live along the coast by the river and are a protected group of people.

They are protected by the government as not everybody can go visit them in their milieu; that was done so that they could protect their cultures and keep it alive. However, those tribes are threatened by illegal gold miners who pollute their waters and prevent them from working for their live hood and thus keeping their culture alive.