The « Pétèd-Fwèt » Crack The Whip At The Carnival In Guadeloupe

Article source: « Carnaval : le fouet, une tradition qui mute en une discipline sportive« , Rudy Rilcy, Guadeloupe la première, France Info, 23/02/2025.

When the whip cracks again and again it arouses everyone’s curiosity, children and adults alike, all dazzled by the thrilling sound. Once an instrument of domination, the whip has become a symbol of resilience and cultural affirmation in Guadeloupe. It is used as a tool of celebration during the carnival festivities, in which the ‘pétèd-fwèt’ are the maestros,

Today, in the main town square of Pointe-à-Pitre, La Place de la Victoire, the whip took pride of place in the Fouet d’or – the ‘Golden Whip’ competition, with the champion whip-crackers, the pétèd fwèt as the masters of ceremonies.

“I see this as a tool of my trade because it’s something that you use all night long for its sound or to have fun,” says fouettard (whipper), Alexandre Hermite.

This is precisely what budding fouettard Kendy, 8, is hoping for: a special sound, a contrasting range of pitches, and a way of taking part in the festivities.

“It makes a lot of noise and there’s so many activities involved. When you plait it, when you add the stick and the karata, it’s fun because you get to do something useful.”

So the fwèt (whip) is an embodiment of creativity, which is also a means of reasserting Guadeloupean identity, a very particular identity that is not overburdened by rules. It allows the Guadeloupean culture to be passed down through the generations in the form of a children’s toy.

“Kids always want to play with their whips,” says whip-maker Richelieu Chelza, “even during the Easter holidays, even if it’s not carnival season any more, so it’s a toy like any other toy.”

From the very first crack of the whip, it is a toy that has set the tone of the carnival year after year. It is always the first point of contact between the spectator and the carnival in Guadeloupe. Today, whip-cracking brings people together and it is taking its first steps to becoming a new sport.

“It’s something that brings people together, whether you’re part of a group or not,“ says Stéphanie Commère, president of the association La Ligue de Fouet, ”the whip is something that’s attractive enough to make you want to try it, even if you’re not part of a team, so why not make it into something bigger, like a sport, so people can do it in a slightly more regulated way.”

For the first time, amateurs and experts competed before a jury of blindfolded whip masters with a keen ear for the perfect crack of the whip.

Translated by Nissrine Vanstaen, Johanna Leclair and Tabatha Picard.

Editing by Sam Trainor.