The modern Caribbean is a true melting pot of cultures and lifestyles forged out of a brutal past
Around five hundred and thirty years ago, the beginning of the occupation of the Caribbean by Europeans began. This was the major turning point for the region, a major earthquake in its cultural history. From this point forward, colonial governments took it upon themselves to develop these islands, in their own images. The colonial invaders pillaged the countries and local peoples for their riches and killed most of them off. They industrialised the region for massive profit and imported huge numbers of slaves and indentured labour to do it. Remnants of this brutal transformation can still be seen throughout the region.
Up to this time, this archipelago had been the home of several indigenous peoples who lived sparsely distributed throughout the region. Not always peacefully as some tribes, such as the Caribs, were warring others. The descendants of many still remain to this day. The modern Caribbean has retained bits and pieces of each of these peoples' cultures within it, and the melding of these influences is the outcome. So, this is the context within which the Caribbean has become what it is today. The beauty and serenity of the place belies its past, the harshness of which is difficult to overstate.
The European colonisers had amassed massive wealth from this arrangement but starting in the early nineteenth century began to abandon their enterprises as being, in their view, no longer profitable. They had probably pillaged as much as they were able to carry out. This left the indigenous peoples, along with the now imported slave and indentured peoples with the problem of how to carry on, how to move forward, without money, without investment and without much in the way of resources. They were, in effect and in truth, left to their own devices to survive. What has become the 'true' Caribbean that we know today is the blending and merging of cultural ingredients from all of these peoples. It speaks to strength, fortitude and resilience and the will to make a better life.
These peoples had also inherited European architecture, customs, education, religion and other influences based on whoever the occupier was: British, Dutch, French or Spanish. So, in the present day we can see a grouping of islands or countries along these European cultural lines. Islands within a linguistic group display a similar range of influences that contain much of what the Europeans left behind. Their languages and their cultural practices have been co-opted by the peoples along with the remnants of any industrial development.
Wars between the Europeans and the aftermath of wars have also meant that some Caribbean countries carry the cultural marks of two or more European invaders. Tobago, for example, had changed hands about thirty times. Trinidad, once being a solely Spanish possession, ended up in the hands of the British and the influences of both these cultures is present to this day.
The slaves and indentured peoples had also brought their artistic influences, cultural traditions, folklore and foods with them from their African and Indian homelands along with ancient religious practices, such as Voodoo. And then there is also the remainders of the cultural values of the indigenous peoples.
The modern day Caribbean peoples have built on all these remnants to create vibrant, rich and intense cultural entities. However, the struggle for independence and removing the mantle of colonial oppression is still present in many ways.
The merging of the sum total of these influences has created a large variety of 'mini-cultures' within the Caribbean countries. Each country can have a dominant overall cultural signature but also may contain regions within the country that are unique and different from each other. The Maroons of Jamaica stand as an example.
One of the most colourful influences that has carried on from the European religious underpinnings is Carnival, celebrated at the beginning of the Christian Lenten period around the World. In the Caribbean, this was the celebration where the European masters basically allowed the enslaved people a couple of days each year when they could be themselves away from any watchful eye. In most Caribbean countries, this tradition has been modernised by the locals and has morphed into something truly unique. Local peoples have taken ownership of this celebration and have made it their own, merging in influences from their own African roots. To most participants it may no longer even be recognisable as European. The wild Bacchanal influence of Carnival now represents a celebration of being released and extends to other festivals that are common in the Caribbean, in music, dance and the party culture that the warm all year climate brings.
Starting in about the mid twentieth century many islands, but not all, began to exercise their political independence from their former European masters. Some, such as Haiti, had broken away much earlier and as a result were alienated from any form of European help from about the beginning of the end of the slave trade. This left Haiti in a desparate state and they've never really recovered. But this has also forged a strong Haitian personality. Poverty here is a huge problem and low-income is a common element amongst most Caribbean nations. Despite this poverty, lack of money and resources, Caribbean peoples still can teach all us Westerners a great deal about living a simple, unfettered life.
The whole cultural blending becomes quite a bit more complex with the 20th century American influence that has permeated across all Caribbean islands. Alongside this, tourism development has meant bringing European and American so-called 'leisure' lifestyles into most Caribbean countries, though the original influences are important and are still there. The European and American visitors see their trip as a temporary refuge from their daily existence and are content in it. The 'resort', as we now know it, is a transplant of the style of European luxury to the sun and sea and sand. It's imported and hermetic and could be anywhere. It does not represent the natural Caribbean. Some visitors, who take local tours, do get some limited exposure to the world outside.
In fact, the tourism industry has become, as some see it, a continuation of the European dominance over the former slave and indentured peoples in new ways. It is often seen as further exploitation of Caribbean peoples who are not afforded opportunities for advancement. So, many people carry quite a bit of associated resentment and this also underpins some cultural expressions. But this is gradually changing as Caribbean people continue to shed the mantle of European dominance.
In spite of all these things, the peoples resident here have honed a well formed blend of cultural expressions. Building on this, each island nation has created its own unique variation of these expressions, a sophistication and refinement through local practices formed out of the furnace of a harsh past. Cultural expressions, such as language, literature and music are not static things and are continually evolving here, just as they do everywhere. A visitor does not get any sense of this sitting by a pool or in the bar in a resort or on a cruise ship.
In fact, this 'tourism lifestyle' is seen by many visitors as the "Caribbean lifestyle' but this is definitely not the same as the underlying cultures that each island possesses. The visitor to the tourist enclaves remains sheltered from most contact with local peoples. An understanding of the place and the people they are visiting —a reconciliation in a way —is rarely seen as something worthwhile.
So, Westerners need to become the change they want to see, as Gandhi envisioned. Exploring and learning about all of these distinctive cultural entities —and the past that is the reality, presents a wealth of opportunities not only for anthropologists or ethnographers and so on but also for regular tourists who visit there. It means getting out of the tourist enclaves, or 'walled-gardens', and experiencing the local cultures. It makes for compelling experiences —in the 'feeling' in and within each Caribbean country. For those who do venture off the beaten path are in for a rich —and unforgettable experience of the 'true' Caribbean.
The term 'lifestyle' can be understood on different levels, including a personal level but also a group or societal level. Understanding the lifestyle, or way of life, of a place, means taking into account numerous aspects of the way that people live. This may include "the interests, opinions, behaviours, and behavioural orientations of an individual, group, or culture." (Wikipedia) Broadly, it is the collection of the intangible or tangible factors that come together to form the way people live, think, work and interact.
It is important to understand that Caribbean nations are highly protective of their individuality and, as Colin Riegels points out —"local sensitivities prevail" and this shows up in many ways, mostly political. The demise of the 'West Indies Federation' stands as an example. This attempt at unifying the region failed, in part due to "lack of local popular support", "competing insular nationalism" and "cultural distance". Caribbean integration remains distant on the horizon but will probably never include any form of cultural integration.
ACUBIEN is? Changing the way the world views the Caribbean. Changing the way we view ourselves and each other.
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The mission of Around the Caribbean is to provide accurate and reliable content so that prospective visitors to the Caribbean can make an informed travel decision. Additionally, individuals who are considering relocating to the Caribbean can have a comprehensive idea of the ins and outs of the region. The articles on the blog are written by nationals of the Caribbean with contributions made from others who have an understanding of their respective islands. Thus, the posts are from the perspective of persons who call the Caribbean home.
Buzzz Caribbean Lifestyle Magazine is a publication dedicated to presenting topics of relevance and delight to Caribbean people of all ages at home and abroad. ... Our focus is on everything lifestyle such as Entertainment (Caribbean music, art, theatre, film, sports, social activities), Sex and Relationships, Business and Finance and upcoming events, Travel, People and cultures, Cuisine, and other major themes that reflect the magazine’s diverse scope.
The diaspora's leading magazine about the people, places, culture, and lifestyle of the true Caribbean. It is the inflight magazine of Caribbean Airlines. It gets behind the familiar stereotypes to showcase the region's rich music, art, dance, books, sport, fashion, design, festivals, history, and environment.
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The indigenous peoples of the Caribbean region include: Arawak, Boriquen, Carib, Ciboney, Ciguayo, Garifuna, Guanahatabey, Igneri, Kalinago, Lucayan, Macorix, San Blas and Taino. Historians have estimated that the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the West Indies numbered approximately six million in 1492. (Brereton) The vast majority of these peoples were massacred by Europeans or succumbed to disease and the effects of enslavement. The view that all indigenous people have disappeared has now come into serious question. There are still many living descendants of the original peoples to the present day.
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[T]he concept of lifestyle is broadly used. One way to look at it more closely is to differentiate upon societal levels. The article introduces the concept of lifestyle as necessary to understand what it means to developing approaches to sustainable living. It is possible that, due to the limited resources of most Caribbean countries, these peoples probably have a better grasp on this than most Westerners.
Lifestyle is the interests, opinions, behaviours, and behavioural orientations of an individual, group, or culture.
The definition of lifestyle with examples.