The Caribbean Area:

1
The Caribbean Area

• Slavery and Creolization,
• Education vs. Indigenous Cultures

2
What color is Fridays skin? (Friday from
Robinson Crusoe)? Not yellow, because the
aborigines were mostly eliminated there. The few
Caribs left were mixed with the black slaves, who
get associated with Cannibalism. 2. Can Friday
speak? Does Caliban only know how to curse?
(The Tempest Prospero, Miranda and Caliban)

• (The Middle Passage) Slavery
• ? Colonial Education
• Creolization (in people and language)
• Caribbean Disapora 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.
  

Columbus Arawak-- http//www.youtube.com/watch?v
_B1C-v0BzTE
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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.

The Middle Passage http//www.youtube.com/watch?v
Mo79PHVI-ckfeaturefvsr

• 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 (Aimé Césaire)
• Back to Africa movement (started in the 19th
  century supported later by MARCUS GARVEY) ?
  Rastafari movement
• 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 reggae (e.g.
  from rhythm blue to Ska to reggae )

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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 (e.g. Antoinette in WSS)
• 3). Hybrid (mixed-blood)

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Definition (2) Creolization in the Caribbean

• 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

• People --
• Europeans born in the Caribbean,
• mulatto
• 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 (e.g. Black Skin, White Mask Frantz Fanon
  from Martinique)
• diverse and dynamic culture (Walcott on its
  music, painting and language)

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The peoples resistance to colonialism some
examples of Caribbean Poetry
As I worked, watching the rotting waves comepast
the bow that scissor the sea like milk,I swear
to you all, by my mother's milk,by the stars
that shall fly from tonight's furnace,that I
loved them, my children, my wife, my homeI
loved them as poets love the poetrythat kills
them, as drowned sailors the sea. You ever look
up from some lonely beachand see a far schooner?
Well, when I writethis poem, each phrase go be
soaked in saltI go draw and knot every line as
tightas ropes in this rigging in simple
speechmy common language go be the wind,my
pages the sails of the schooner Flight.But let
me tell you how this business begin.(from The
Schooner Flight

• 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.

Note nyahbingi drumming

• http//www.mutabaruka.com/lyrics.htm

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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 (lack of) education sisters, mother-daughter --UK. Departure --Hollywood --South Africa, the Caribbean, and to US
West SouthAfrica 1) War and children 2) Apartheid, politics power? land and body, religion, gender, language, ? children and education 1) Congo in Liberia 2) Boer war ?Afrikaaner vs. Bantu ? (Writing vs. silence) Exile grief of strangers
The Carib-bean Diaspora refugee Creolization ?language, race gender ? children education sisters, mother-daughter 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.
  Claire and Zoe
• 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" -- Jamaica
• Annie John Antigua
• "Children of the Sea" -- Haiti

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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