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The Caribbean has been described as a melting pot where people of different races and cultural background meets. Recently the host of TV show Parts Unknown, Anthony Bourdain, visited Trinidad and interviewed Mario Sabga-Aboud and his family.  Mr. Sabga-Aboud belongs to one of the smallest ethnic groups in the island, Syrian-Lebanese community. During the interview they claimed to be “the most powerful” group in the island which has caused quite a stir throughout the island.

Social stratification refers to a system whereby society ranks categories of people using criteria such as ethnicity, race gender and class. Within the Caribbean society, stratification was as a result of the plantation society where the plantation owners stood at the top and the slaves rigidly at the bottom. This system of stratification can be seen in the interview with another element of stratification, wealth. The classes that are associated with surplus income tends to be descendants of Europeans in the Caribbean. An example of this are the business owners in Trinidad which are mainly from the Syrian and Chinese Community.

It is true indeed that the Syrian-Lebanese are one of the richest groups within Trinidad but the boastful manner by which it was said and the later suggestion that their might be a civil commotion between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ lead to the publics dismay. This statement makes us reflect on our past of slavery and indentureship whereby the ‘haves’ were person of European decent and the ‘have nots’ were the indentured labourers and slaves. This also shows us that stratification based on race may have diminished but various forms of stratification still exist within the Caribbean.

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anthony bourdain syrian lebanese trinidad

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Shemika De Trini A clip from Parts Unknown, Anthony Bourdain Syrian-Lebanese food & culture in Trinidad and Tobago Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown Trinidad

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Child Marriage and Culture in the Caribbean

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Child Marriage and Culture in the Caribbean

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East Indians were able to hold close may of their culture from home during the indentureship period unlike African slaves who were stripped of theirs. Child Marriage (the formal marriage of anyone under the age of 18) in Trinidad and Tobago was recently described as “East Indian Tradition” by Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha leader Sat Maharaj.

With the recent unanimous passing of the bill to rise the minimum age of marriage to 18, person want to revisit our history and highlight why some would NOT want to abolish child marriage. Of the four persons who opted to vote against child marriage on was female (who generally are more affected than boys). Khadija Ameen the sole female decided to look at it from a religious perspective.

Several problems associated with child marriage that could affect development in the Caribbean has been highlighted by researchers such as abandoning of formal education and becoming pregnant at an early age (which can lead to increased child birth deaths due to weak wombs). These could then affect the contributions of females to development as well as increase maternal mortality.

This shows us that persons within the Caribbean society still holds fast to their beliefs and customs that would have been formed through the years and help them to identify with their “motherland”.

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Mighty Chalkdust (Dr Hollis Liverpool)—“Learn From Arithmetic” | Dimanche Gras

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Isaiah Phillip - Caribbean Civilization 

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Edson Chagas, Tipo passe (2014).
The object has immense Afician ritual meaning and compells reads to examine the world we live in today as Africans. The Artifact is dressed in western contemporary clothing.

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Child Marriage and Culture in the Caribbean
Chalkdust, Mighty. "Learn from Arithmetic." By Hollis Liverpool. Port-Of-Spain, 2017. Performance.

Mendes-Franco, Janine. Global Voices. 20 January 2017. 28 June 2017.

Ramdass, Anna. "3,404 child brides in last two decades." Express Newspaper 11 January 2017. website.

United Nations Children's Fund. Ending Child Marriage: Progress and prospects. New York: UNICEF, 2014.

The haves and the have nots

Boodram, Kim. "'Most powerful': Sabga-Aboud apologises." Express Newspaper 27 June 2017.

Gibbs, Kevan. "Why are Syrian-Lebanese successful?" Guardian 17 May 2017.

Sabga-Aboud. Parts Unknown Anthony Bourdain. 2017.

The New Double Consciousness

Burton, Roxanne. Globalisation and Cultural Identity in Caribbean Society: The Jamaican Case . Cave Hill, n.d.

Hugh, Mckay. "The Globalisation of Culture?" Held, David. In A Globalizing World? Culture, Economic and Politics. New York: Routledge, 2004. 40-48.

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When I initially started the course I was of the belief that it would be an exact replica of form 6 Caribbean Studies. Because of this perception I tried to get an exemption from the course not once but twice only to be told that you can’t be exempted. Once I registered for the course I figured that at the University level we would be taught a more in-depth analysis of the Caribbean’s History which would be beneficial to further understand were we came from.

The course provided me with a more in-depth view on the inhumane way by which the West African slaves were transported into the Caribbean. Although I completed the course during the short semester the course coordinator as well as lecturers provided the information in such a way that it wasn’t overwhelming but enjoyable and relatable. Within the classes which were as diverse as the Caribbean itself, we were able to form discussions on our present day experiences and relate it to the topics at hand. One Example of this is during my Saturday lecturer where there was a girl from India who provided us with how Child Marriage is viewed in India currently.

I initially believed that all of the assignments listed on the course outline would have consumed me but each one although challenging with the limited time pushed us to do reading outside of the plenary which further helped to develop my understanding of the Caribbean, its people and our history.