The project

CELT’N KA ’s goal is to trigger a global and individual thinking about the social and cultural diversity, and to raise public awarness of foreign cultures in order to struggle against any form
of discrimination or individualism.

By creating this cultural and artistic exchange between Guadeloupe and Ireland, through different actions, CELT’N KA intends to highlight two strong cultural identities while insisting onimportant notions and values such as sharing, tolerance, openness, and acceptance of the unknown existence.

Intermixing those two languages made of music and dance, Creole and Gaelic, in a creative circle that might remind of «wonn a léwòz» or musiciens around a roundtable in a Pub is a great opportunity to enable the people to discover or rediscover two ancient traditions in a new, original and contemporary format.

 

CELT’N KA project, or when Guadeloupe meets Ireland

 

Intermixing Guadeloupean and Irish traditions is a first. Mixing of cultural traditions already exist, but Gwoka has never crossed paths with Irish folk music. Nevertheless, there is a lot in common in these two cultures.

Both Guadeloupe and Ireland have profound and strong roots in people’s minds. They share a common history of a struggle for emancipation against an occupier, with all the suffering and pain, and a desire to access independence and freedom. Culture has clearly contributed to transmit a patriotic and identity message, enabling the increasing of traditions as we know them today.

Historically, the two traditions have a common thread from the discovery of the New World by the European colonial powers during the sixteenth century. As a matter of fact, if Celtic music exists since fifth century, Gwoka started in the French West Indies plantations, specifically in Guadeloupe.

It is accross these cultures that Marie-Charlotte Loreille, photographer, and François Collombon, musician, decided to tell the story and share their discovery of these cultures, which have become a passion through different cultural actions, whose main purpose is to open minds to the world that surrounds us.

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