Official uVu Blog

Discover Guadeloupe through music

uVu producer Jessy Schuster was raised on the French island Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. As she went home for the holidays, she shared with us some of her home country" best of" culture and landscapes.

To start, let's discover the music of Guadeloupe: Gwo Ka. Known as folk music, Gwo ka is hand drums music.

Different sizes of drums establish the foundation and its flourishes, with the largest, the boula, playing the central rhythm and the smaller, markeur (or maké) drums embellishes upon it and interplays with the dancers, audience or singer. Gwo ka singing usually guttural, nasal and rough, though it can also be bright and smooth, and is accompanied by uplifting and complex harmonies and melodies. There are also dances that tell folk stories that are accompanied by the gwo ka drums.

Rural Guadeloupans still use gwo ka drums in communal experiences called lewozes; this is the most traditional manifestation of gwo ka in modern Guadeloupe. Gwo ka is also played at Carnival and other celebrations. A modernized and popularized form of gwo ka is well-known on the islands; it is known as gwo ka moderne. (source Wikipedia).

The following video was shot next to "La place du Marche St Antoine" in Pointe-a-pitre on Dec 19th, 2009.

Francois Ladrezeau, one of Guadeloupe's most renowned player from the Mass Group Akiyo is playing in this video (with the yellow shirt).

The Krewe of Boo Parade

Halloween came a little early in New Orleans, but the unusual is tradition in the town that defined Mardi Gras.  The parade wound its way through the French Quarter and then up and down Canal Street, finishing at the riverfront warehouse of Mardi Gras World.  More than just a whimsical evening of fun however, the parade raised much needed funds for the cities first responders, police, fire and EMS.

Although the beads and cups and stuffed toys were flying, I didn't hear anyone shout "throw me something Monster"

Here is a little info about the parade and the cause it represented:

The Krewe of Boo, New Orleans’ Official Halloween Parade!

Created by New Orleans’ own Blaine Kern Sr., The mastermind producing Mardi Gras for over 60 years, the Krewe of Boo is unlike any other parade in the world. Not only is the Krewe of Boo the official Halloween Parade in New Orleans, it is the first parade with a charitable cause! Mr. Kern’s vision for this unique event was to give back to New Orleans First Responders the best way he knows how…by throwing a party! Every dollar generated by the Krewe of Boo benefits the Greater New Orleans First Responders Fund.

From Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

The Story of Florida’s State Parks, WPBT2,  Tuesday at 7:30 pm

Florida Park Service Specialist Tony Emtiaz takes an underwater tour of the Christ of the Deep statue, a long-time icon of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.

Save The Blue

At the screening for The Story of Florida's State Parks, held at Palmetto Bay Village Center, we met Lacey Hoover.  

Ms Hoover is the Chairman of the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation, Hoover Environmental Foundation, and Hoover Environmental Group. She is serving on or has served on the boards of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Pew Institute for Ocean Science, Nova Southeastern University's Oceanographic Center, South Florida National Park Trust, National First Ladies Library and several others. Environmentalist, philanthropist, and mother, Lacey Hoover embodies a long tradition of community service, entrepreneurial skill and the teaching of the next generation to preserve their natural resources and leave the world a better place.

Save The Blue is an effort to preserve the world's water supply and marine life and the current project is to eliminate the killing of Sharks for their fins.  You can find more information here.

Jessy in San Francisco

Jessy, our uVu producer took a trip to the left coast this past week, you can follow her exploits here.  At least she kept both hands on the wheel this time.

A short trip INTO THE WILD

At the premiere screening of the WPBT2 Original Production, Into The Wild, the Roberts family was introduced to the audience along with members of the production team, Rangers from the National Park Service and members of the South Florida National Parks Trust.

Watch the videos here

Dan B. Kimball, Superintendent of Everglades National Park and Rick Schneider, President of WPBT2, welcomed those in attendance and conducted a question and answer session after the film.

The Roberts', George, Jr. and Shanda and their children, George III, Sean Jarrett and Shadaisha,

program producer, Jack Kelly and cinematographer Jeremy Nicholson, along with Rangers Alan Scott, Allyson Gantt and Rudy Beotegui shared their reflections on the experience.

You can find more about the program, which premieres on WPBT2 on September 24 at 7:30, by visiting here

uVu's Own Maid of the Mist

When last we saw Jessy, she was tooling down I-75 with one hand on the wheel and one on her trusty flip camera.  This time, she is a bit less reckless and somewhat more damp as she accepted an international assignment at Niagara Falls.


Watch the rest of her trip here.

Driving to Naples with uVu's Jessy

Historic Lighthouse

Take a tour of the Hillsboro Lighthouse on uVu.