| The face of the Caribbean |
|
|
|
|
ZiNG 8 (July 2010) If someone asks you ‘where do you come from?’ what do you answer? Heather Barker explores what it means to be Caribbean... As a student at the University of the West Indies (UWI) I always fancied myself a musician, strumming the cello pan in the steel pan orchestra. The gig that stands out most in my mind was at a cricket match in the early 1990s. I was excited and proud on many levels: that I was playing an instrument that was birthed in the Caribbean; that I was doing so with students from across the region; and that the West Indies team went on to trounce England by eight wickets. At that moment, in the roar that went up across the ground and in homes, shops and businesses across the entire region, we were all as one in the heady rhythm of victory. We were Caribbean, whether living in St Kitts, Guyana, St Lucia or Dominica. Even though we’re fiercely loyal to our own island and territories, many of us strongly value a Caribbean collective. But to what extent do we see ourselves as Caribbean and what does that mean? Francis Urias Peters, a Grenadian playwright and public education specialist, has a St Lucian-born mother and studied in Jamaica. He sees himself, in a broad sense, as Caribbean because of his parentage and his close relationships, as well as business and artistic ties, with persons and organisations throughout the region. “My artistic development and appreciation for the arts have been shaped and influenced by persons of varied Caribbean identity,” he explains. These influences include the late Professor Rex Nettleford of Jamaica, Eugene Williams of Guyana and Rawle Gibbons of Trinidad and Tobago. Barbadian, Gayle Alleyne, regional journalist and communications manager for the ICC WT20 Cricket Tournament, feels at home in most Caribbean countries. Like Francis, she has established long-standing and rewarding friendships. “I have a deep connection with some countries. In Montserrat, for example, people call out my name because they remember my media coverage of the volcano.” Gayle embraces and accepts the similarities and the differences of Caribbean countries. “I see the Caribbean as a large family – each island has its own personality, but we’re all part of the something bigger. Regional integration is about being able to appreciate what makes us all unique and accepting each other as we are.” For some this may have been easier said than done. While I was a student on the Mona campus, a discussion arose about the economic challenges Barbados was undergoing in the early 1990s. I sensed from some students that Barbados needed to be taken down a peg or two because of a perception that Barbadians behaved as though they were better than others. Gayle notes: “There are some Bajans who run around beating their chests, but each country can boast that it’s the best at something or another. The most important thing is for people to enjoy what we have in common and appreciate and accept what we don’t. Even with things as simple as how, in Barbados, we talk about ‘ackee’, but in St Lucia and Dominica it means something else.” For Francis, a compelling example of integration occurred after the passage of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 which devastated Grenada. “The entire Caribbean region came to our assistance. I couldn’t find a better example of Caribbean integration at work.” Nicora Stubbs, a Bahamian student at UWI’s Cave Hill campus speaks about integration from a cultural perspective and supports it – to a certain extent. “We can integrate as long as it doesn’t take away from our individual national identities. We must maintain what is unique to each country. That’s the real beauty of being Caribbean!” Frances Payne, a Barbadian working in New York City, supports integration. “It gives us an opportunity to use our talents abroad, to experience other cultures and also see our similarities.” Caribbean identity under siege? For many, the Caribbean identity is under threat from external, namely American, influences. Rhuelle Dennis, a Trinidadian studying at the Cave Hill campus, does not dislike American influences necessarily, but thinks they are negatively transforming the identity of Caribbean youth. “I’m seeing more and more people with earphones stuck in their ears, shutting out the world. This is a typical example of how an individualistic culture has penetrated our lives. Another example of Americanisation is Facebook which is ‘confining’ our social lives to the likes and dislikes of people and what they have to say about us. Gone are the days where you’re eager to hang over your fence and talk to your neighbours.” Francis acknowledges that Caribbean culture has always borrowed from other cultures to create a unique mixture to call its own. “However, with the introduction of cable TV, the bombardment of the American value system can have a negative effect on peoples of the islands. I reinforce to my sixteen-year-old daughter the need to be proud of who she is, and to never allow what she sees on the television to influence her negatively. Globalisation, materialism, Americanisation? I’m still searching for the correct term but the present direction in which we’re heading is definitely changing the cultural “DNA” of our people - and it’s for the worse.” While Gayle agrees that Americanisation is not new, she sees its influence differently. “While people frown on it, there’s been a lot of good. For example, there’s computer-driven technology which I’m sure we wouldn’t want to give back. With every good there’s some bad. I’m not fearful of Americanisation because if we want to live in a democracy, freedom of choice has to prevail and we need to allow our citizens to make appropriate choices. Besides I still see the Caribbean as a wholesome place generally.” Safeguarding the essence of what it means to be Caribbean may come more from strengthening our notion of identity rather than fending off external influences. Francis advises that we should project and teach the realities of a Caribbean civilisation. “The late Professor Rex Nettleford always projected that the Caribbean was civilised in a unique way. Peoples were brought to our islands, some by force, some under contractual migration terms, others voluntarily. And in the process of this unique mixture, the ‘Caribbean Civilisation’ was born and defined. As a people who have survived the harsh realities of slavery we’ve learned to laugh in order to cope with our pains and disappointments. That’s Caribbean.” What do you think? We want you to tell us what it means to be Caribbean. Are you proud of where you come from? Do you consider yourself St Lucian or Caribbean? Are we losing our individual identities? Get in touch via our website, www.zingmag.net; email, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or via Twitter – look for zingmag. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|