Culture · Guadeloupe
Gwoka, the drum music listed as heritage of humanity
Singing in Guadeloupean Creole, drumming and dance: in 2014 gwoka was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
A dialogue, not a show
Gwoka rests on call-and-response singing: a soloist throws a line, the chorus answers. The exchange is traditionally held in Guadeloupean Creole and leaves wide room for improvisation.
Around the drum, the circle — the léwòz — gathers singers, dancers and audience: anyone can step into the centre, nobody is merely watching.
International recognition in 2014
In 2014 gwoka was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognising a living practice transmitted outside institutions and long pushed to the margins.
Alongside gwoka, Guadeloupe keeps other traditional dances, such as the quadrille, danced by couples arranged in a square and led by a caller who announces the figures.