Family and education
Regardless of ethnic origin, the family is the mainstay of Guyanese social life, and very often, the family is large! Women tend to give birth relatively young, and the institution of marriage remains socially central. Moreover, in many communities, tasks are gendered, although this is gradually changing.
As far as education is concerned, the school system is the same as in mainland France, although there are a few problems specific to the department. Many non-French-speaking pupils and those from an oral culture face difficulties at school, as the public authorities take little account of local specificities. While conditions and qualification levels have improved, many young people (9,000 between the ages of 18 and 24 in 2014) continue to drop out of the school system without any qualifications whatsoever. The University of French Guiana was created in 2014 as the successor to the Académie des Antilles et de la Guyane, to offset this trend towards mass school dropouts. Generally speaking, staff numbers have risen sharply over the past ten years, but this is still insufficient. The Guiana agreement signed in 2017 provided for the construction of five new lycées and collèges over 5 years to meet the needs of the growing school population. Some improvements have been made, notably in the health sector (renovation of hospitals or health centers), security (increase in law enforcement), and education (increase in the number of classes to meet demographic growth). However, this progress is often perceived as insufficient or too slow by Guyanese.
A relaxed pace of life, difficult conditions
As French Guiana is close to the Equator, the rhythm of the day is constant throughout the year: the sun rises and sets early (around 6:30 pm). In the mornings, children start their school day at 7:30 a.m. and, as long as they're not at college, the afternoons are free, often devoted to sports or relaxation. Practiced throughout the country, the siesta is a sacred activity in French Guiana. During the week, life is relatively quiet in the evenings, unlike at weekends! Generally speaking, people in French Guiana quickly learn to take things easy.
This rather relaxed pace of life should not, however, overshadow the daily difficulties faced by the Guyanese. Life is expensive in French Guiana, mainly because of the price of fuel and foodstuffs, which are largely imported from mainland France. Prices in supermarkets are very high, and those in grocery stores, generally run by Chinese, are not much different. So it's best to buy local products and those on the market to get the best prices. As far as employment is concerned, 19% of the population of French Guiana is unemployed, and this particularly affects the under-25s, who make up almost half the population. It should also be noted that, as part of France, French Guiana is a gateway to the European Union for the surrounding countries, attracting a population with even more difficult living conditions. In addition, insecurity and lack of infrastructure led Guyanese to go on general strike in March and April 2017. Five weeks after the start of the movement, and on the eve of the first round of the presidential election, the Cayenne Accord was signed on Friday April 21. But its implementation was slow, and on October 26, 2017, when French President Emmanuel Macron made an official visit to French Guiana to respond to Guyanese who were awaiting its implementation, he did not immediately follow through on the promises of the agreement. An improvement seems to be emerging, but it is slow, and not up to the level promised.
