The contemporary Caribbean society is comprised of various forms of

culture and ethnic backgrounds. The main influential force behind this
cultural diversification is due to slavery and Indentureship. Slavery is defined
as a system under which people are treated as property and are forced to
work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture,
purchase or birth and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to
demand compensation. The chattel slavery system enslaved many Africans
to work on the plantation systems in the Caribbean. On the other hand, after
the abolishment of slavery, a new source of labour supply was needed, thus,
the Europeans used indentured labourers to work on the sugar plantations
these labourers such as the East Indians were offered wages in exchange for
their labour. Unlike the Africans, they were allowed to openly practice their
culture and religion. Nevertheless, many other ethnic groups were used as
Indentured labourers before the East Indians. For instance, Whites and
Chinese were exploited before the East Indians. Moreover, due to the
notorious enslavement of Africans and the Indentureship of various ethnic
groups, the Caribbean culture and societies experienced several major
effects.
First of all, slavery has been of utmost significance in shaping
Caribbean societies and culture. For example, the African culture or way of
life was diffused in the Caribbean. Religious rituals and customs that were
introduced by the Africans are widely practiced in the Caribbean today, such
as Voodoo, Obeah, Shango and Pocomania. Moreover, the African presence in
the Caribbean significantly impacted on the cuisine, fashion, music, dance,
language, the family and cultural festivities. The common-law family type
was introduced by the Africans because they were not allowed to marry or
court .Thus, in todays Caribbean society, many individuals are involved in
the common-law family households where the couples live together as
husband and wife but are not legally married. In addition, the forced
migration of the African slaves had major effects on the social strata in the

Caribbean. The social strata can be defined as the social tiers in society
which is in the form of a pyramid with a broad base and a narrow peak. The
narrow peak represents the upper class which is comprised of the wealthy
white individuals in society and the broad base represents the lower class
which is comprised of the blacks and other ethnic minority groups. However,
the majority of persons living in poverty continue to be of African and East
Indian descent.
On the other hand, the Indentured labourers also significantly impacted
or had major effects on Caribbean societies. For example, they had a major
influence on the foods, music, dance, fashion, religion and the family in the
Caribbean. The major religion that was practiced by the East Indians was
Hinduism which is widely practiced in many Caribbean territories. The
extended family however, was influenced by the East Indians due to their
close-knit society. Additionally, due to the Africans and the Indentured
labourers, the sugar cane plantations continue to dominate the agricultural
landscape in Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad.
In conclusion, it is acknowledged that slavery and Indentured labourers
significantly impacted or major effects on Caribbean societies and culture.

In the Caribbean, the natural structures of the coral reefs are faced
with many severe dangers which are caused naturally and by human
activities. Coral reefs however, are living communities. Coral polyps are tiny
marine creatures that secrete a calcium carbonate or limestone shell around
their bodies, which remains when they die. The long shells become
cemented together to form the physical structure of the reef on top of which
the live Coral polyps grow. The coral reefs are significantly beneficial to the
Caribbean region, thus, certain strict measures should be implemented to
minimize or reduce the dangers posed to the coral reefs.
The coral reef structure provides protection to plant and aquatic life.
Waves break on the reef ensuring that a calm lagoon or stretch of sea occurs
between the reef and the coastline. Coral reefs are therefore, ecosystems
that support an immense variety of life and also have great potential to
produce new medicine for mankind. The coral reef is important to the
Caribbean regions with regards to the tourism industry. Thus, these reefs
should be protected from human threats. First of all, Caribbean countries can
immediately create marine reserves which are places in the ocean that are
completely protected from uses that remove animals and plants or alter their
habitats. These reserves are off limits to fishing activities because
destructive fishing methods physically destroy the reef when explosives are
used to kill fish. This form of fishing which is referred to as blast fishing
succeeds in killing the corals and other species. Thus, the creation of marine
reserves in the Caribbean countries can considerably minimize the dangers
that threaten the coast coral reefs in the region.

Moreover, another conservation method which can be implemented to

curtail the dangers posed to coral reefs is to promote the awareness and the
importance of coral reefs to the Caribbean region. The Governmental
authorites can actively encourage the participation of citizens, nongovernmental organizations and institutions to assist in the conservation of
coral reefs in the Caribbean.
Finally, the Governmental authorities can encourage the citizens of
their country to report illegal activities on coral reef eco-systems such as
marine pollution and the malicious destruction of the coral reef system.
Thus, the legal authorities can effectively and efficiently deal with the
perpetrators which can in turn contribute to the reduction in the dangers
faced by the coral reefs.
In conclusion, by creating marine reserves, promoting the awareness
and importance of coral reefs to the Caribbean region and the Governmental
authorities encouraging citizens to report illegal marine activities that can
destroy coral reefs may extensively and fundamentally diminish the threats
faced by the coral reefs.