The Caribbean Area:

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The Caribbean Area

• Slavery and Creolization, Education and
  Indigenous Cultures

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What color is Fridays skin?? Not yellow,
because the aborigines were eliminated. Africans
get associated with Cannibalism. 3. Can Friday
speak? Does Caliban only know how to curse?

• Slavery ? Colonial Education
• Creolization (in people and language)
• Caribbean Disaspora Cultures

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Outline

• The Caribbean Definitions History of
  colonization
• Creolization Definitions
• English language of people
• Race Relations ? Conflicts and Displacement
• Caribbean Poetry and Music at a Glance
• Caribbean poetry Derek Walcott dub poetry
• Popular culture Different ways Calypso, (Raggae
  Rap)
• Our Course Thematic Continuity, Geographic
  Expansion

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Definition (1) the Caribbean 3 groups
1. the Bahamas to the North East of Cuba 

the Greater Antilles
the Lesser Antilles
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Definition (2) the Caribbean

• discovered by Columbus in late 15th c., Spanish
  colonization, followed by the British, French and
  Dutch.
• names
• West Indies (Anglophone) a misnomer (also East
  Indians)
• the Antilles (Francophone)
• the Caribbean as a term encompassing both
• Composed of immigrants only
• the aboriginal communities Amerindians--
  Arawaks, Caribs, etc. exterminated
• Immigrants from Africa, Asia and Europe.
  

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Image of the Caribbean

• Jan van de Straets engraving America--the new
  world as a woman

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History of Colonization in the Caribbean Area

• 1492-96 -- Columbuss discovery of the West
  Indies
• 16th-18th centuries --Colonial period 
• also a period of wars among colonial nations and
  pirates, and conflicts between the white masters,
  black slaves and mulatto.

• Rebellion (1) the Maroons
• e.g. Abeng (from a West Africa) used
  primarily as a signaling device served as a
  vital means of communication when the Maroons
  were at war with the British (e.g.)
• e.g. in Sugar Cane Alley

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Ways of rebellion (2)

• petit marronage (???) in francophone islands
• pretend sickness, steal, or even poison their
  masters.
• with music, dance, religion (voodon), or simply
  their different ways of living
• examples the school childrens tales of
  zombies the songs the laborers singat the
  field, after Madouze dies-- in Sugar Cane Alley
• open rebellion

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History of Colonization in the Caribbean Area

• 1808 --1838 Britain and USA abolished slave
  trade complete abolition of slavery in British
  colonies
• 1845 East Indian indentured laborers in Trinidad
  Chinese indenture in French colonies (e.g. Wide
  Sargasso Sea)

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History of Colonization in the Caribbean Area

• 1919-1939  seen as Slums of the Empire.
• Negritude Back to Africa movement
• (e.g. MARCUS GARVEY)
• Madouzes account in SGA

riots strikes in 1935-1938 and afterwards
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History of Colonization in the Caribbean Area

• Since the 50s
• Colonization in reverse West Indian migration to
  England ? restrictions imposed
• Independence movements
• 1958-62 -- The Federation of the West Indies
• independence ? 1962 -- Jamaica, Trinidad and
  Tobago1966 ? Barbados and Guyana

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American Imperialism in the Caribbean Area (Cf.
Bob Marley site http//www.bobmarley.com/)

• Economic
• the area becomes the tourists heaven and a cheap
  labor factory (capital, technology and management
  shipped to the area to use the labor power
  without leaving the profits there.)
• Cultural domination
• music styles the emergence of raggae (e.g.)

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History of Colonization in the Caribbean Area

• Neo-Colonialism of the U.S.A.
• military intervention (e.g. "Caribbean Basin
  Initative" bribing Jamaica and the rest of the
  Caribbean to support the armed confrontation in
  Grenada and the war in El Salvador. 

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Creolization (1) Dictionary Definition

• A. language mixture of languages, esp. in
  Southern US and the Caribbean area.
• B. People
• 1). Orignal meaning Native, local,pure
• 2). Native-born whites
• 3). Hybrid (mixed-blood)

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Definition (2) Creolization in the Caribbean

• People --
• Europeans born in the Caribbean,
• mulatto
• Language
• the mixture of English and African tribal
  languages into some special kinds of native
  languages (Patois, such as French Patois,
  Jamaican Patois).   E
• e.g. Beijan The English used in Barbados--
  closest to standard English (e.g. 1) Jamaican
  creole,
• "postcreole continuum-- parallels the social
  hierarchy to some degrees (--those speaking in
  creole are looked down upon). 
• Postcolonial usage of creole ? dub poetry
• the empire strikes back

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Color System in the Caribbean Society

• Dying to raise their color all of them (199)
  (e.g. Bright Thursday)
• The color triangle white
• brown
• dark

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Race Relations multiple division

• Post-emancipation period conflicts
• between different races (e.g. the English vs. the
  French),
• between plantation owners and small farmers,
• between the newly rich and the declining
  aristocrats.
• Discriminated mulatto and creole.
• In the contemporary Caribbean area and diaspora
  the Bajan vs. the Jamaican, all against Haitian,
  etc.

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Consequences of creolization

• racial conflicts
• split sense of identity in between Europe and
  Africa
• diverse and dynamic culture (Walcott on music
  and language)

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The peoples resistance to colonialism some
examples of Caribbean Poetry

• Caribbean poetry (introd.)
• Derek Walcott (e.g.) combination of Western
  culture and creolized culture and island
  landscape
• I happen to have been born in an English and a
  Creole place, and love both languages.
• I who am poisoned with the blood of both,Where
  shall I turn, divided to the vein?
• "A Far Cry From Africa Derek Walcott, 1957

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The peoples resistance to colonialism some
examples of Caribbean Poetry

• Dub poetry forerunner of hip-hop
• an extension of reggae culture (new raggae)
• a form of performance poetry having its roots in
  popular Jamaican culture, and more particularly
  in reggae and Rastafarianism. 
• The movement has served to bring poetry back to
  the people

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Dub poetry

• openness to pop culture and esp. to music (reggae
  and calypso) appeal of public performance
  acceptance of social responsibility
  --poetry has a function (poetry vs fiction as a
  middle-class genre)
• amateur poetic practice in the WI (e.g. Jamaican
  creole )
• e.g. Edward Braithwaite,

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Kamau BrathwaiteWings of a Dove

• About a Rasta Man
• Brother Man the Rastaman, beard full of
  lichens??brain full of licewatched the mice
• After smoking his pipe of his gangja, he speaks
  of his people in Bablylon town
• So beat dem drumsdem, spread
• dem wings dem,watch dem fly
• dem, soar demhigh dem,
• clear in the glory of the Lord.

• Watch dem ship demcome to town dem
• full o' silk demfull o' food dem
• an' dem 'plane demcome to groun' dem
• full o' flash demfull o' cash dem
• silk dem food demshoe dem wine dem
• that dem drink deman' consume dem
• praisin' the glory of the Lord.

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Kamau BrathwaiteWings of a Dove

• So beat dem burndem, learn
• dem that demgot dem nothin'
• but dembright bright baubles
• that will burst demwhen the flame dem
• from on high demraze an' roar dem
• an' de poor demrise an' rage dem
• in de glory of the Lord.

• ? Bob Marley, a Rasta

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Mikey Smith

• Black and White
• Different implications of black
• Michael Smith

• Image source

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Colonization in Reverse

• What a joyful news, Miss Mattie
• Ah feel like me heart gwine burs--
• Jamaica people colonizin
• Englan in reverse
• By de hundred, by de tousan
• From country an from town,
• By de ship-load, by the plane-load,
• Jamaica is Englan boun.

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Colonization in Reverse (2)

• Dem a pout out a Jamaica
• Everybody future plan
• Is fi get a big-time job
• An settle in de motherlan
• What a islan! What a people!
• Man an woman, ole and young
• Jussa pack dem bag an baggage
• An tun history upside dung!
• --Louis Bennett
  (e.g.)

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Mutabaruka

• dis poem
• starts with middle passage, but extends to all
  kinds of racism all over the world.

• http//www.mutabaruka.com/lyrics.htm

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The peoples resistance to colonialism some
examples of Popular Culture (1) Trickster
Tradition

• Anancy stories (spider)from West Africathe
  experience of the Middle Passage in animal forms
  (42)
• The Monkey Businessthe monkey as a
  gentleman-like animala symbol of the
  (pseudo-)colonizerundressing unmasking the
  (pseudo-)colonizer
• Functions of a tricksterfor survival and revenge

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The peoples resistance to colonialism some
examples of Popular Culture

• Calypso originated in the songs of African
  slaves who worked in the plantation fields of
  Trinidad. Forbidden to talk to each other, they
  used calypso to communicate feelings and
  information.
• e.g. Work songs in Sugar Cane Alley.
• e.g. "Dan is the Man".

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"Dan is the Man"

• In education, he is
• taught to be a block-headed mule
• with his world filled with nonsensical nursery
  rimes.
• How about the education in the film Sugar Cane
  Alley?

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Thematic Continuation in our course
Area Cultures, race gender colonization diaspora
Indian Subcon-tinent Religions? gender (purdah, sati, marriage), caste system, partition ? children and education --UK. Departure --Hollywood --South Africa, the Caribbean, and to US
South-Africa Apartheid, politics power? land and body, religion, gender, language, ? children and education Afrikaaner, UK --Cruso/Foe ? Writing vs. silence Exile return
The Carib-bean Diaspora Creolization ?language, race gender ? children education Slavery Contract laborers US. Back to Africa or UK
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The Caribbean Texts and their Themes

• Sugar Cane Alley a boys experience of 1930s
  labor exploitation Western education vs. local
  cultures cultural identities
• The Wide Sargasso Sea 1830s (abolishment of
  slavery) ? poor creole women (girls) vs. a black
  girl, Tia
• Abeng by Michelle Cliff another creole girl
  whose great grandfather, Judge Savage, burned his
  hundred slaves on the eve of their emancipation.
• Olive Senior's "Bright Thursdays" a creole
  girls experience and fear of white culture and
  open space
• Annie John a black girls growth to reject of
  her mother/culture.
• "Children of the Sea" refugees from Haiti two
  voices

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The Caribbean Texts and their Locations

• Sugar Cane Alley Martinique
• The Wide Sargasso Sea (Martinique), Dominique,
  Jamaica
• Abeng by Michelle Cliff -- Jamaica)
• Olive Senior's "Bright Thursdays"
• Annie John
• "Children of the Sea"

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The Caribbean area and the Caribbean diaspora

• Canada
• The U.S.
• Children of the Sea Fugees
• Annie John
• M. Cliff, B. Marley
  
• Wide Sargasso Sea
• Sugar Cane Alley
• Derek Walcott

England France India
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References

• The Evolution of Afro-Caribbean Music
  lthttp//www.cariwave.com/Evolution_Afro_Caribbean_
  Music.htmgt
• Caribbean Poetry Barbados lthttp//www.courses.vcu
  .edu/ENG-snh/Caribbean/Barbados/index.html gt