Aimé Césaire Theatre

The Aimé-Césaire theatre

The Fort-de-France audio-guided tour presents you with the Aimé-Césaire theatre, a former neoclassical-style town hall, which bears the name of the great Martinican poet and statesman.

From a town hall to a theatre

This fine stone building, built in 1884, was the former town hall of Fort-de-France. It illustrates West Indian architecture by the omnipresence of wood, its lacy frieze, its four-faced clock and its wrought-iron balcony. In 1912, a theatre was added at the rear, with a large Italian-style hall able to accommodate up to eight hundred spectators. Aimé Césaire, mayor of Fort-de-France from 1945 to 2001, kept his office there, even after his mandate. A year after his death, the building was renamed in his honour; a museum space was set up in his former office, and the place today hosts numerous cultural events.

What there is to see

The Aimé-Césaire theatre charms with its neoclassical façade, its elaborate balcony and its atmosphere laden with history. Beyond the architecture, the place pays tribute to Aimé Césaire, a major figure of literature and a great defender of the dignity of colonised peoples. Its Italian-style hall and the museum space of his former office make it a striking cultural stage of Fort-de-France.

Practical information

The Aimé-Césaire theatre is in the centre of Fort-de-France. Its façade can be contemplated freely; the hall and the museum space open according to the programming and the visits, whose hours are to be checked on site.

Why does the theatre bear the name of Aimé Césaire?

Because Aimé Césaire, mayor of Fort-de-France from 1945 to 2001, kept his office there; the building was renamed in his honour after his death.

What was the original function of the building?

It was the town hall of Fort-de-France, built in 1884; a theatre was added to it in 1912.