Caribbean Global Interactions

Objectives
1. Students should be able to understand the

factors which have shaped Caribbean

society and culture
2. Appreciate how cultural traits evident
through out the region have resulted from
Caribbean peoples experiences
3. Understand the common features which
exist within Caribbean diversity

Creative Expressions
Objective:
discuss the influence of creative expressions of
extra-regional countries on the Caribbean
Festivals:
Most of the Caribbean countries have shown strong
influences of extra-regional countries, namely those
of the European colonizers
This however has changed due to the creativity of

the Caribbean people by adapting the cultural forms

of the colonizer into distinctive hybrid products of
their own

Festivals
Western influences an be found in Christian
observances such as :
Christmas
Easter
These festivals are celebrated in a similar
fashion due to foreign mass media
(decorations, commodities and gifts) and
commercialization

Festivals
Festivals that show long established Caribbean
traditions:
Corpus Christi
Good Friday
Ash Wednesday
All Saints Day
The West also had little impact on Muslim,
Hindu, Orisha and Amerindian

Festivals
Secular festivals such as Valentines day and

Old Years Night, Mothers and fathers Day

and Halloween has been greatly influenced by
the US again due to the penetration of foreign
media
Most of the production for gifts and cards for

these events also originate in the US

Carnival
How carnival was celebrated reflected the

resistance of the oppressed people they parodied

and satirized European attitudes, dress and
mannerisms under the guise of celebration, so that
the traditions of critique, social commentary and
resistance was strongly entrenched in the
celebration.
Carnival in Dominica and T & T was first associated
with the French Roman catholic influence
In Antigua, Barbuda and Barbados it is celebrated
to commemorate emancipation

Carnival
Carnival celebrations in the islands where tourism is

a great income earner has been greatly influenced by

extra-regional countries:

What events are staged

Where they are located
How they are packaged to be of interest to the tourist
Admission for shows
Selling the rights to reproduce certain events to foreign media
Production of CDs and videos

Carnival
In T&T evidence can be seen in the areas of:
Technology computers used to create images of costumes,
sourcing of foreign materials to build costumes and the sound
technology found in music recordings and live entertainment
Development of ideas the mas bands are inspired by themes that
range from sci-fi to abstract portrayals of globalization,
oppression, capitalism, gender issues and ecological awareness
Built structures large floats (some with air-conditioned rooms)
similar to what is found in Italy and new Orleans
Music that is exported traditional calypso is no longer exported,
it has been sidelined for the new wave, jump and wine soca

Music
Caribbean music is known for its resistant themes

which spring from the regions history of oppression

colonialism, bonded labour and social stratification
The most successful musical forms generated from
the British Caribbean are :
Reggae
Calypso
Steelband

These originated in Jamaica and among the shanty towns and

urban poor in Trinidad

Music
Calypso had grassroots origins as calypsonians

sought to expose the inequities such as racism, and

political oppression and voiced alternative opinions
to that of the establishment (colonial politics and
Roman catholic Church)
Their compositions combined wit, satire and humour
to poke fun at important persons therefore it was a
means whereby the poor and powerless could resist
and ridicule the highest authorities

Theatre Arts
Comprises of drama, dance and stage craft
In the Caribbean it also includes:
Traditional dances,
Limbo
Stick fights
Folk singing
Chanting
Drumming
Story-telling
However the extra-regional influences was very evident in how
Caribbean theatre developed

Theatre Arts
Language debate between patois and standard

english
Theme decolonization: conflicts and tension over
issues such as identity, discrimination based on race,
colour and class
Therefore theatre arts are not only a form of
entertainment but an attempt to bring awareness to
Caribbean people through humour, tradegy, musical
productions, dance and even arts in education
programs for school

Theatre Arts
Caribbean theatre arts have into a creative

adaptation of western styles and genres largely by

incorporating:

Caribbean language
Local musical rhythms
The oral traditions
Call and response episodes
Folklore characters
Picong repartee that is stinging in its wittiness (usually of a
sexual nature)

 The West however has played a role in the growth

and development of:

Poets
Playwrights
Actors
Dramatists
Writers
Novelists

Some Caribbean writers and playwrights that are internationally

known are Derek Walcott, Vidia Naipaul, Earl Lovelace and
Jamaica Kincaid

Culinary Practices
The culinary arts in the Caribbean also show s a high

degree of creative adaption of the food traditions of

Europe, Africa, India, China and the pre-Columbian
people
A staple in the Caribbean is saltfish or salted cod
Jamaica ackee and saltfish is the national dish

St Vincent roast breadfruit and saltfish

Antigua duckanoo and saltfish

It originated in the importations of salted and smoked fish from
British colonies

Culinary Practices
It should also be noted that animal parts were not

considered to be fit for human consumption and therefore

given to the enslaved
As a result salted smoked and pickled meats became very
popular in the Caribbean
Smoked herring
Pigtail
Black pudding
Pig foot or chicken foot souse
Cow heel
Goat belly
most of the Western countries do not use the various animal parts in their
cooking

Culinary Practices
Note that while the food may be similar the

preparation and how it served differs greatly

E.g. rice and peas is a Caribbean staple but red beans
and rice of Jamaica is very different from the
national dish of haiti
The French influence is still in existence in Haiti,
Martinique, Guadeloupe and Dominica especially
seen in the herbs, spices and sauces
Caribbean cuisine is hot and spicy based on the
influences of the Caribs, Indians and Africans

Culinary Practices
The British has very little influence on Caribbean

cuisine in terms of taste, spices and herbs

One of the main staples that did come from the
British was the Irish potato (but cooked very
differently in the Caribbean)
However the Caribbean people do drink tea and
speak of it as anything from coffee to milo to ovaltine
to cocoa. They may also have porridge for breakfast
Oats and wheat has been mostly replaced by
cornmeal

Culinary Practices
Gravy is also British but cooked separately in the

Caribbean it is cooked as part of the dish

The West has made a big impact in the areas of timesaving gadgets, appliances and pre-cooked products
such as ham, cakes, home baked bread etc
Another impact is in the area of fast-food chains
It can therefore be said that to people in extra-regional
countries, Caribbean cuisine represents the ethnic
foods of a metropolitan center