Top billing in the French Antilles goes to this huge museum of slavery, opened by President Hollande in 2015. Housed in a spectacular silver-latticework structure on the site of the former Darboussier sugar factory on Pointe-à-Pitre's long-neglected waterfront, ACTe tackles a tricky subject head-on, with various sections dedicated to stages of the slave trade in the Caribbean and beyond in chronological order. Allow at least two hours to do the audio guide justice.
The story starts right from the beginning with the arrival of Columbus and follows the development of slavery and the culture it created in the Caribbean in a varied and attention-grabbing way. The narrative is displayed on screens and related through your headset, but it's also very effectively evoked through large art installations, some of which have been exhibited at the Louvre. Highlights include a section on the Code Noir, where you can see real iron shackles, a mock-up of a slave hut, amazing Carnival costumes, a colourful display on Rastafarianism, and a chilling part at the end on modern-day slavery and people trafficking around the world. Be aware that no photography whatsoever is allowed in the museum, not even on phones.
ACTe was declared European Museum of the Year by the European Council in 2017.
