Caribbean Studies: Impact of Caribbean culture on extra regional politics and economies

1. Caribbean Studies: Impact of Caribbean culture on extra regional politics and economies There are large numbers of Caribbean communities in larger cities of developed world

2. International perspectives • Some of these cities are: New York, Toronto, Miami, London, Paris and Amsterdam. • Their sizeable presence will impact strongly on the local and foreign politics of these host countries. • The large presence of Cubans living in Florida provides powerful lobby to pressure the US government to formulate policies to undermine the Castro communist government

3. International perspectives • Haitian ‘boat people’ • Impact of immigration issue, used as a political issue • Our people provides both skilled and unskilled labour that helps economic development of the host countries

4. Impact of Caribbean cultural practices on countries abroad • Large presence of Caribbean nationals provides a cultural force • Popularity of the Caribbean as a tourist destination • Many Caribbean people travel abroad causing cultural assimilation [adaptation by foreigners].

5. Impact of Caribbean cultural practices on countries abroad • Cultural transmission through stage shows, migration and the mass media Impact of our national festivals • Nottinghill carnival [UK] • Labour Day in Brooklyn • Carnival in Miami

6. MUSIC • Caribana in Toronto Impact and adoption of Caribbean music • Calypso music • Pannists or steelband men [steel pan is the only musical instrument invented in the 20 th century

7. MUSIC • Popularity of reggae music: influence of Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff • Promotion of reggae music through festivals [local and foreign] • Many north American and Japanese kids have adopted aspects of Caribbean culture such as corn row hair styles, braiding and use of Creole • Reggae music being incorporated into the music of other countries

8. MUSIC • Japanese Sayoko has made a reworking of the Japaese pop classic Ue O Muite Aruko ( Sukiyaki) as an extended CD single that includes both Japanse and English versions set to a reggae beat • Good vibrations wrote a protest song Election Time to protest the political victory of President Chamorro who opposed the revoluary Sandinistas

9. MUSIC • In Zambia, Rastafarians and reggae artists and fans shaped their own Sunsplash (Reggae festivals) outside Lusaka every year since 1990 • In United States Reggae Grammy winner and icon Shaggy’s Boombastic, is being used by Madison Avenue to market its products, selling jeans for Levi Strauss

10. MUSIC • Reggae is generally being incorporated into other musical forms. One punk rock group in the USA, now produces crossover reggae they call Jah rock • Reggae’s popularity has so increased as part of the American culture that University of Vermont advertised a course in the Rhetoric of reggae on the Internet. This course became the most popular

11. Caribbean culinary practices • Caribbean is known for its culinary delights • Generally limited influence apart from large concentrations of Caribbean nationals or those who visit the Caribbean

12. Religion: Rastafarianism • Evolved as an indigenous cult • Conceptulized during the Great Revival of the late 1860’s • Cult perfected in the 1930’s • Leaders such as Marcus Garvey and Alexander Bedward of August Town stimulated this movement with their belief in racial diginity

13. Rastafarianism • In 1930, Ethiopian Prince, Ras Tafari Makkonen was crowned as the Emperor. • He took onto himself the title Haile Selassie – Power of the Trinity • Individuals such as Leonard Howell, Joseph Hibbert and Archibald Dunkley, independently developed the doctrine of the Rastafarian movement

14. Rastafarianism • The Rastafarians are a group that maintains social solidarity and also rejected the traditional norms and values of society

15. Rastafarianism: beliefs • Rastafari, the late Haile Selassie I is God in the form of man • They worship jah as their spiritual leader • Africa is their spiritual home • The Old Testament and Psalms are their sacred books: the written word of God

16. Rastafarianism: cultural practices • Non use of materialism • Retreat from Babylon and forward to the hills of Zion • They wear their hair as dreadlocks • Smoke the ‘holy weed’ • Dress code includes : wearing of knitted tams and sandals and the carrying of Moses’s rod

17. Rastafarianism • Their colours include red, green gold and black are symbolic to their religion • They eat only natural food (itals) and never eat meat ( deaders) • Rastafarians form tribes and live in communes, each tribe has a leader or chief who possesses power over all the other members

18. Rastafarianism • Girls are regarded as inferior to men and exist only for their pleasure • Often women are seen walking behind their men, never in front or beside them

19. Rastafarianism: impact • Music • Social justice • Cutural impact: conflicts • Bob Marley • Exodus: Album of the century

20. Is Caribbean culture more popular abroad than within the Caribbean?

21. Issues in Caribbean development • Sustainable development • Economic development • Social development • Economic growth without development

22. Indicators of development • Levels of income: GDP/GNP per capita • Productivity • Social and economic equalization • Modern knowledge (technology) • Improved institutions and attitudes • Environmental factors

23. Factors that promote or hinder development • Political ideologies( Capitalism, communism, socialism, marxism); popular movements ( New Jewel Movement in Grenada). • Distribution of wealth; resources; income generation • Changing class boundaries, social stratification, social justice, social harmony and mutual advantage

24. Factors that hinders or promote development • Definition of Caribbean Experience and identity • Natural and man-made disasters • Impact of productive sector • Tourism: contribution and challenges

25. Globalisation and development • Definition and stages • WTO • IMF • WORLD BANK • MNC’s • TECHNOLOGY • TRADE • IDEOLOGIES

26. Impact and response to globalisation • Industry and commerce • Distributional sector (Supermarkets, department stores). • Labour( unemployment, need for continuous upgrading of skills, knowledge-based world • Technology( information, communication, telecommunications)

27. The integration movement • The evolution of: Federation,CARIFTA,CARICOM,OECS,& ACS • Caribbean Community(CARICOM) • University of the West Indies • CXC • WICB • CTO • CSME • Regional Security System

28. Contributions of sport • Generation of income • Health and fitness • Educational opportunities • Sense of Caribbean identity • Discipline and morale • Presence on the world scene • Sports tourism

29. Intellectual traditions • Pan Africanism • Negritude • Industrialisation by invitation • Maxism and Neo-Marxism • Caribbean perspectives on British Capitalism • Trends in Caribbean feminist thought • Indigenous perspectives

30. Roles and functions of the mass media