The Strike in Martinique Sometimes ignorance is bliss and that was the case for us while in Martinique. Our very limited French language skills left us unaware of the degree of unrest that was brewing on the island. We had heard that there was a strike going on in Guadeloupe and that it was spreading to Martinique. When they started policing the grocery store door and forming lines down the block to get in we realized the extent of the problem. By the time we cleared out through customs the island was essentially "closed for business". There was very limited food available (certainly no more of the fresh baguettes that we'd come to love); gasoline sales had ceased (the stations were being policed); there was no garbage collection; public transit had ceased (buses, communal taxis, ferries); the banks were closed - ATMs empty; schools were closed as well as the post office. Additional police were brought in from France. We were grateful to have done the sight-seeing we did before the situation got out of hand. Our last anchorage in Martinique was off the capital city of Fort-de-France. We heard the drum beat, right through the night, as thousands of citizens protested. Last news was not good news - this year's carnival was cancelled. A truly sad situation for such an amazing island. About the strike: A general strike began January 20, 2009 in the French island of Guadeloupe. The strike was organized by the anti-profiteering committee (an umbrella group that brings together trade unions, political groups and several Creole cultural groups). The group demanded the price of essential goods be reduced. Living costs are high on the French islands which depend highly on imports and use the euro. The strike is exposing racial and class tensions on an island where a largely white elite, that makes up a small percentage of the population, controls most businesses. Martinique began its own general strike in mid February 2009. It crippled the island for a 1 month period.