REGIONAL: People in Martinique hit the streets to demand carnival

SOURCE: St Lucia Times – People in Martinique took to the streets on Sunday to back demands for the authorities to permit a ‘traditional’ carnival.

Hundreds took part.The group, accompanied by music, strolled through the streets of the Martinique capital, Fort de France.

They stopped at the official residence of the Prefect for while.

But no one was at the residence at the time. Martinique 1 Ere quoted one of the organisers of the activity as saying that carnival is too important to Martinique culture for the authorities to scrap it..

According to the on line publication, many who took part in the demonstration wore balaclavas. It was because they wanted to conceal their identity.

However few wore COVID-19 masks, Martinique 1 Ere reported. It said the crowd included children in strollers and senior citizens.

Martinique officials had authorised scaled-down carnival events because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But citing a reduced number of COVID-19 cases, some people are demanding that the authorities give permission for the Island’s traditional festivity.

According to the website TourCrib, although they are prepared over weeks, the  traditional festivities usually begin on the Sunday following the Epiphany and end on Ash Wednesday.

Depending on the year, the carnival takes place in February or March, the website states.