Martinique: dream world full of controversy

Martinique, an overseas territory of France is 7,000 kilometres from Budapest. The beaches are beautiful, the vegetation is lush, but we cannot fail to notice the many controversies. Martinique is part of the EU – at least theoretically. It receives EU funding, but a 25 per cent tax is imposed on imported merchandise that is also produced locally, including that coming from France. The fruit juice we sell is also subject to this tax, as if we Hungarians could impose a 25 per cent tax on milk imported from Poland… Martinique seems to have more influential friends than we do. The hurricane season in August and September is one of the not so nice things in Martinique. When hurricanes are predicted by the meteorologists, a rush for food starts and a curfew is declared. Earthquakes are another annoying aspect of life here. However, damage is repaired quickly and it is not very surprising that the local Creole population is not very enthusiastic about independence. Apart from a few locally owned supermarkets and small groceries, only French retail chains are present. In addition to 8 big hyper markets, an abundance of supermarkets and discount stores also exists. The Carrefour store located near Fort de France is the biggest among these. Our first impression upon entering the hyper market is that we are in France. Prices are generally significantly higher and even locally produced fruit is no cheaper than it is in Europe. Martinique boasts the highest champagne consumption in France, with many people living in shacks and drinking champagne which costs HUF 7,000 a bottle. Seafood is an exception however, as it is cheap and delicious. There is no hot water in 50 per cent of homes and there are many neighbourhoods which are off-limits for whites. Unemployment benefit and welfare are the only source of income for a large part of the population. Tourism is not a boom industry either, unlike in Cuba or Dominica, as local work ethic is quite low. I had to order a beer no less than four times, but failed to get in the end. In another place, I failed to get the change.