CARIBBEAN STUDIES

“Caribbean Arts and

Popular Culture In The
Region and Its
Diaspora.”
Eesha Harripaul
Varuna Kistow
Rayon Ramoutarsingh
OBJECTIVES:
⮚ Learn about various Caribbean art forms.

⮚ Learn about Human and cultural development via

the arts in the Caribbean.

⮚ Learn about Contributions made by individuals

from the Caribbean.

⮚ Learn about Art Forms in the diaspora.

⮚ Define Key Concepts.

Art Forms

• Art forms are human expression of creativity and imagination. It is a material and
non-material cultural representation of a people.
• They represent syncretic changes (fusion), borrowing and mixing of musical and
art elements to create unique forms and genres
• Is a means of communication and used to measure human development, high
culture(fine arts)vs low culture (popular arts),
• Art forms in the Caribbean are influenced by Europeans, Africans, East Indians
and Chinese who came from different ancestral groups with varying traditions
CARIBBEAN ART FORMS
Some important definitions:
• High culture - works of art which can be compared with similar works
internationally and are generally though to have great artistic and aesthetic value.
They often do not have mass appeal
• Popular culture - culture which has mass appeal, often contrasted with high
culture.
• Folk culture - the beliefs and practices of a distinct ethnic group and tends to be
tradition-bound and, more often rural in occurrence.
• Artisanal works are those produce by artisans, working craftspeople who are
making artefacts for local sale or display. Popular in culture since crafts represents
our identity. Composed of handmade crafts.
Music Types Found in The Anglophone Caribbean
Country Type of Music

⮚ Trinidad and Tobago Soca, Calypso(Kaiso),Steelband, Chutney, Parang,

Chutney Soca, Parang Soca, Ragga Soca, Rapso,
Pichakaree, Tambrin.
⮚ Barbados Spounge, Ringbang.

⮚ Belize Marimba, Breakdown, Punta, Punta Rock.

⮚ Jamaica Junkanoo, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, Rockers, Reggae,

Roots Reggae, Lovers Rock, Dub, Nyabinghi,
Reggaetón, Dancehall, Reggae fusion, Raggamuffin.

⮚ St. Lucia Candance, Zouk

 Music Types Found in The Non-Anglophone
Caribbean
Country Type of Music
⮚ Martinique Candence, Zouk, Méringue, Beguine.
⮚ Guadeloupe
⮚ Suriname Kaseko, Kawina.

⮚ Curaçao Tumba, Ritmo, Kumbina.

⮚ Haiti Compas(or Konpa), Mizik, Rasin, Rara,

Twoubadou.
⮚ Puerto Rico Reggaetón.

⮚ Cuba Son, Rumba, Habanera, Salsa, Timba, Plera,

⮚ Dominican Republic Merengue, Bachata, Bamba.
⮚ Puerto Rico
Caribbean Music
• Reggae- originated in Jamaica in the late 1960’s. it is the
most famous style of Caribbean music and has gained
international prominence. It was popularized by Bob Marley
in 1970’s.
• Calypso- has origins in West African music and singing.
Today it provides a social and political commentary of
events mainly in Trinidad and Tobago.
• Steel Band- the only musical instrument invented in the 20th
century. The steel pan movement emerged as a new way
of drumming which evaded colonial restrictions.
• Punta Rock- originated in Belize in 1970’s and has become
popular in Central America and New York. The songs are
mainly in the form of call and response with drums.
Drumming

⮚ A feature of many Caribbean musical forms is drumming.

This has a direct connection to the traditions of West Africa
and came to be a form of opposition to the colonial powers.
Drumming was strongly discouraged and even forbidden
among slave communities, and still in the post-emancipation
was frowned upon as potentially subversive.
Dance

Every Caribbean territory has it own unique dance forms, with each migratory group helping
to shape diverse forms. These include Congo, Kathak, Limbo, Zouk, and dancehall. African
drums and beating of bamboos produce highly energetic sounds. Latin influences of
merengue and salsa are prominent in Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Country Folkdance
Trinidad Limbo and Quadrille
Bermuda Goombay
Grenada Cake walk
Guyana Mari Mari
Culinary Arts
⮚ Potato is a staple of the Caribbean diet which originated from the England but cooked in very different
ways. For example, as aloo choka.
⮚ Various root crops such as cassava, dasheen, eddoes, and yams, which were part of the slave diet,
is still popular today. So, to is breadfruit, which can be steamed, roasted, stuffed or baked into chips.
⮚ The English also brought the concept of drinking ‘tea’, thought it instead refers to any drink as “tea”
example, coffee, cocoa and hot malt drinks.
⮚ Dishes such as peas and rice, and inconsiderable animal parts which was not for human
consumption became typical food for slaves. These include pigtail, smoke herring, chicken feet, pig
snout, goat belly, cow heel, and fish heads. All have a long regional heritage. Salted fish or salted cod
is a staple across the Caribbean, example, saltfish and dumpling, accra, and saltfish pelau.
⮚ From the East Indians came the curries, pepper, lentil peas, chutney and various herbs and spices
that are widely used in cooking, while pholourie, doubles and dhalpourie roti are generally consumed
by all.
⮚ Caribbean cooking is also famous for jerk, escovitch fish, barbeque and pepper pot and cassava
bread.
⮚ The Chinese brought their ever popular Chinese-style fry rice, fry chicken and vegetables
⮚ Junk food- pejorative term for fast food, especially food with little or no nutrient value.
Festivals

• Caribbean society is culturally diverse and the

festivals in various island bring all ethnic groups
together.
• Festivals in the Caribbean can be divided into
⮚ Secular festivals
⮚ Religious festivals
Secular Festivals

• Carnival- Trinidad and other Caribbean islands. It is a street festival

combining steel band music, dance and costumes. Contributions to the
region includes:
⮚ Foreign exchange
⮚ Brings people together
⮚ Promotes the growth of businesses
⮚ Brings classes together
⮚ Employment generation
⮚ Increased GDP
Secular festivals Cont.
• Crop over festival- Barbados. Originated in the 1970’s, this
festival last for 5 weeks and highlights the history art and
culture of Barbados. It is a large carnival style show which
includes mass bands, calypso contest and ends with a parade.
• Junkanoo- The Bahamas. Celebrated around Christmas time,
started around slavery when slaves left the plantation to
celebrate with their community through dance music and
costume.
• Reggae festival- Jamaica. Started in 1978, takes place in early
august for one week. Where different reggae music is played
every night. It evolved into Reggae Sumfest.
Secular festivals Cont.
• Tobago heritage festival- a re-enactment of the history of the
island that includes the old-time wedding, music and dance, crab
and goat race.
• Tobago jazz festival- a yearly event that attracts artistes and
patrons from the UK, US and Canada.
 Festivals (Carnival)
⮚ Started as a pagan festival in ancient Europe which was popularized in the medieval times as a Roman
Catholic Festival.

⮚ Mardi Gras – traditional French festival before Ash

Wednesday.

⮚ The Caribbean parodied French balls and masquerades.

⮚ Crop Over- Barbados festival dating from 18 th century.

- centralized on observing sugar cane harvest.

⮚ St. Vincent- carnival is called, “Vincy Mass.” Is celebrated

in late June-early July.

⮚ St. Lucia- occurs in late July.

⮚ Grenada- carnival is called, “Spicemas.” 2 nd & 3rd week of

August.
Festivals (Carnival) Cont.

⮚ Mass Dominica, Trinidad Carnival, Martinique, Curacao, Haiti

and Guadeloupe are traditionally pre-Lenten festivals.

⮚ Guyana- Mashramani (started on 23/02/1970)

⮚ All Carnivals are street festivals.

⮚ It initiates the season for various competitions. E.g., street

band, Calypso, Soca etc.

⮚ Dimanche Gras- major competition that occurs the Sunday

night before Carnival begins.
-followed into J'ouvert.
Religious festivals
• Muslim festival- arrived with East Indian indentured laborers.
⮚ Eid ul-Fitr – this marks the end of the period of Ramadan fasting for
muslims. National holiday in Trinidad and Tobago.
⮚ Eid ul-Adha – a holy festival known as the festival of sacrifice.
• Hindu festivals- arrived with the East Indian indentures
⮚ Divali- the festival of light over darkness.
⮚ Phagwa- also known as Holi, a spring festival of colours.
• Christian festivals- brought to the regions by European colonisers.
⮚ Easter- symbolic of the death and resurrection of Christ, celebrated with an
Easter parade.
⮚ Christmas- represents the birth of Christ. Celebrated by all nationalities.
Folk Theatre
⮚ Originates from Europe during the season of Lent. E.g., plays
based on “Passion of Christ.”
⮚ Soon later, Caribbean culture was merged with it:
-involves people telling stories, celebrating events, games,
routines and dances.
⮚ Famous characters in Caribbean folklore entails moko
jumbie, Anansi duppies and jab jab.
⮚ Carnival in the Grenadines has, “Shakespeare Mass,” which
involves verbal clashes among participants.
⮚ Midnight Rubber(Trinidad): character who instills fear into
children, versed in long sentences, serious and menacing.
Contribution of Individuals from the
Caribbean
• Rex Nettleford(1933-2010)-He formed the National Dance Theatre of Jamaica.
• Louise Bennett(1919-2006)-wrote and perform poems in Creole.
• Beryl McBurnie(1914-2000)- Inspired others to love folk dance. She was the founder
of The Little Carib Theatre.Mentor to Derek Walcott, Andre Tanker and others. Pioneer
of the Caribana festival in Canada.Teacher of generation of dancers and recipient of
the many awards including the Trinity Cross.
• Paule Marshall (1929-)-self identified as Caribbean although born in the US to
Barbadian parents. Wrote the book Brown Girl, Brownstones.
• Martin Carter (1927-1997)-Guyanese poet-‘Poems of Resistence” catapulted him as a
giant in the field of Caribbean Literature and political activism.
• Sundar Popo(1943-2000)-Chutney artist worked to diversify Caribbean music.
• Audrey cummings-Guyanese artist, guitarist, vocalist and bandleader
• Boscoe Holder-Trinidadian painter, pianist and dancer.
What is a Diaspora?

• A diaspora is a people or group of migrants who have a

homeland in another part of the world to which they shar4 an
emotional attachment
Art Forms and Diaspora

• Our art forms have travelled far and reached new audiences
• Transnationalism-heightened interconnectivity between
people across geographic and political boundaries
• This movement of art forms have helped cement Caribbean
people identity in the diaspora
• Notting Hill carnival in london,Labour Day Parade in Brooklyn
New York AND Caribana in Canada have all contributed to
the spread of Caribbean culture.
Human and cultural development

• Culture can be defined as all the practices and beliefs that

guide the social living of a group as such it is clear that the
development of the arts is a major part of the definition of
culture and contributes to the development of Caribbean
culture.
Contribution of the art forms to human
and cultural development

• Arts have contributed to human and cultural development

• It empowers and unites people
• People from all walks of life can portray their talent and show their
potential
• Arts acts as therapy
• Creates cohesion-carnival
• Engender identity and pride
• It increases productivity
• It provide persons with employment.it has a multiplier effect creating
employment for many and it can increase foreign exchange. Creates
tourism and can have a multiplier effect by
Contribution of the art forms to human
and cultural development

• Providing jobs to construction, transport etc.

• Festivities can provide economic benefits
• Relaxation can help people be more productive
• It creates equality
• Our colonial past has set up class structures. The arts
provide places for others to move up and critique the existing
class structures.
• It create sustainability
• It is away to sustain cultural practices.
Contribution of the art forms to human
and cultural development

• Lower socio-economic groups produce unique

cultural artifacts that can be used to battle cultural
imperialism and sustain local identity
Evolution of Caribbean Music.
⮚ Ska was depopularised by Rock.
⮚ Reggae came after Rock.
⮚ With adoption of Guitar and synthesizers, Reggae become slower than
Rock Steady.
⮚ Reggae music evokes stories of oppression, longings, intertwined with
Rastafarian themes, focusing on Africa as redemption.
⮚ Dub – emerged out of the practice of leaving one side of a single free of
the lead vocals, giving the dub masters room to fill in with their toasting
and mixing dexterity.
⮚ Toasting- singing and rapping over music.
⮚ Rap flowered into ‘Hip Hop’ in the US.
⮚ Dancehall – evokes a youthful sound which had strong connections to
American Rap.
Steelband / Steelpan music

⮚ During African slavery in the Colonial rule, the playing of drums

⮚ Tamboo-bamboo was produced by beating bamboo cuttings of various
widths and lengths with wooden sticks.
⮚ By 1940s, empty oil drums were pound into a concave shape with notes
being tuned on its surface.
⮚ Colonial authorities banned Carnival during war years, however
experimentations took place at the backyard of Port of Spain dwellers, to
produce a versatile pan instrument.
⮚ Many pan players played by ear since they were perhaps poor,
uneducated and never learned to read music.
⮚ The steel pan movement emerged as a new way of drumming which
evaded colonial restrictions.
Evolution of Caribbean Music Con’t.

⮚ Calypso – has grassroot origins.

- sought to expose inequalities. E.g., political
oppression, racialism.
- was used as a mean by the poor to ridicule and
resist the highest authorities.
Origin of Punta Rock.

⮚ Punta Rock was created in the 1980s.

⮚ Only music created in Central America (Belize).

⮚ Created by Pen Cayento of Belize and a Honduran group

called “Gobana.”

⮚ Genre of music includes a mix of Salsa, Reggae, Rap, Soca

and the traditional music form.

⮚ Presently , Punta Rock can be found in Guatemala,

Honduras and Nicaragua.
Thank you
for your
attention.

The end