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 labor supply was
needed, thus, the Europeans used indentured laborers to work on the sugar
plantations these laborers such as the East Indians were offered wages in exchange
for their labor. Unlike the Africans, they were allowed to openly practice their culture
and religion. Nevertheless, many other ethnic groups were used as Indentured
laborers 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 Indenture ship 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 authorities can actively encourage the participation of
citizens, non-governmental 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.