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The Caribbean, though sometimes faced with indifference even through the ways that unite us, historically, culture, tradition, regional unions and sport. It is important to note that we can set aside what separates us and come together in trying times.

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As the tragedy of World War II took a drastic hit on the economies of the world, the colonizers were by no means exempt from this. Their response to this they needed to free up their economies by slowly releasing their colonies from their hold. This is what led to their idea of regional integration beginning with the West Indian Federation.

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The West Indies Federation, that was founded in 1958, the first regional body that has attempted at unifying the territory on a political scale. As stated by, Caribbean Elections, “Caribbean Elections: West Indies Federation” direct taxation by the Federal Government, Central planning for development, Establishment of a Regional Customs Union and Reform of the Federal Constitution…  negotiations to acquire the subsidiary of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), namely British West Indies Airways (BWIA)… then University College of the West Indies (UCWI), which was established in 1948 with one campus at Mona, Jamaica, opened its second campus at St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, in 1960. Federation was implemented as an initial attempt that came about while colonization was present, in order for us to gain a sense of governance and identity before they were granted freedom. All these establishments were formed to in order to reduce the dependency of our region on the metropole.  Though they had high hopes for the continued success of the federation, some undeniable successes. Notwithstanding this, the downfalls outweighed the benefits and the federation was dissolved. This followed insufficient leadership, barriers to communication, parochialism and most importantly, lack of funding, where the Caribbean at the time could not collectively support this body and larger territories contributed more than the others and this made them feel cheated.

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The dissolution of the West Indies Federation, led to the independence of the territories and following this, a new unified regional body was integrated. The Caribbean Community and Common Market was established for various important reasons which can be summed up into the following, according to CARICOM, “Who We Are,” rests on four main pillars: economic integration; foreign policy coordination; human and social development; and security, this would set the pace for the development of our countries.  A major enabler given by CARICOM is the CARICOM passport that allows all nationals of member countries to move freely within the region. Furthermore, the duty of member states to collectively bargain for the Caribbean on an international level shows that no matter what situation we may be in, leaders must always come together and execute their role. Thus, creating a positive example of themselves for their citizens to follow.

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Caribbean Single Market Economy is the stepping- stone to a union which comes after CARICOM. Hence most of its objectives are similar, if not the same, to that of the latter body. On the report of ttconnect, under the CSME, CARICOM Nationals are entitled to the following rights: free movement of goods, free movement of people, free movement of services, free movement of capital and right to establish a business in any CARICOM member state.

With reference to the aforementioned objectives of the CSME, the unification of the Caribbean, the implementation of the free movement of labour especially shows that the insularity between countries has lessened in recent years. This not only promotes tolerance but also adds to the revenues that can be accumulated by our developing states.

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Carnival, its self-proclamation of, the greatest show on earth, may quite literally exceed this notion. According to, the National Library and Information System Authority, NALIS, a major part of the Trinidad Carnival mystique lies in its unique ability to bring people of diverse backgrounds together in harmonious circumstances, the festival was not born to such noble pursuits. Which proves that this event is more than simply entertainment. Each year many creative arms come together and engage in the production of this festival. Their hard work and determination to flawlessly create this event is astounding. In regard to the music made especially for this period, Soca and calypso, which originated in Trinidad and Tobago, is a part of this event to the extent where it is competitive. The International Soca Monarch encourages those artistes from all over the Caribbean region to participate. Though it is held in Trinidad, this does not mean that a biased is placed where only Trinidadians are favored since participants flock from within the region. Additionally, designers that conceive costumes to adorn our capital city’s streets come from all over the region. These local designers not only partake in our festivities but are known to showcase their costumes regionally. Simple opportunities as such encourage interaction of people and the economies of the West Indies. This goes to show that this is yet another unique way in which we are in harmony.
It is not limited to Carnival solely as there are other important parts of material culture such as, food, dress, music, festivals and many more that depict the array of past influences that are present in these activities. This range in these aspects of culture that share commonalities between each country is what I believe unifies us.

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A central identifier of simply being a part of the Caribbean is the fact of certain historical commonalities. Taken from Sutton, “in the Caribbean, the weight of history has been greater than anywhere else in the developing world, and the colonial impress more enduring.” Colonialism, slavery and indentureship are the most infamous exploits that we have collectively faced. Resultantly, it has been because of these struggles, that we define ourselves with this one Caribbean identity.
Through this, much of our culture is attributed to a combination of influences in our past. It should be noted that many of these adaptations of culture still live on today. This is apparent with Carnival, which is an enormous celebration, some of the biggest stages include, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados’ Crop over. These festivities welcome us to visit the islands in support of the revelry of the event.

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In the aftermath of slavery, cricket became a means whereby the white planter class could… demonstrate moral and racial superiority over their black and coloured subjects. (Mohammed, 220). The irony of this now is that, the major unifying agent within this heading is cricket. This is perhaps one of the most beneficial legacies of the British plantation society, whether adapted willingly or not by the Caribbean and it is obvious that it was not passed on freely by the colonizers, nonetheless it has infiltrated our region. The West Indian territories have had mammoth success in the past that has molded some of the finest champions in this sport as exemplified by their body of work. The unifying body known as the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) was established in, 1920. It hosts the West Indies cricket team which was created in the same year that aided in our sporting heroes’ fame, Garfield Sobers, Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd and Brain Lara just to identify a few.
In spite of the bright road that these legends have paved, has been put into question in recent years. It has made us stop and observe their rough path and whether this has provoked a spirit of dissatisfaction within fans in the region. This could lead to unhealthy rivalry among countries. This has become evident through the annual Caribbean Premier League tournament. People may become quite heated during these matches and take their sportsmanship to a new level.
Additionally, another issue with the West Indies cricket team that has been highlighted is the composition of our team. It may be argued that, our team consists of members from a few countries, all our territories in the Caribbean are not sufficiently represented. Is this not supposed to be an accurate representation of the region? Therefore, this should be reflected in its players. Despite the challenges, the evolution of cricket in the Caribbean is quite notable from taking this sport from one of oppression to upliftment and truly showing a level of union amongst us.

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‘It takes a village to raise a child.’

This notion is embedded in the Caribbean society. The family is known as the primary socializing agent. We acquire the tools of socialization from them in order to develop into functional members within society. As such, we are taught at a young age to respect our elders, whether they possess relations to us or not, and treat them as if they were our own. We create this basis of respect and when passed on this shall prove to be an ideal trait that can be carried with generations and display this level of esteem wherever they may wander. It also fashions tolerance for others that can aid in eliminating any forms of xenophobia that may present itself against our region. It is important that we display patriotism for our individual countries but also for the entire region. On the other hand, it is safe to say that those who pride themselves from being a part of the Caribbean would go to great lengths to boast and defend the region if need be. Therefore, promoting this spirit of warmth not only to other Caribbean nationals but it can be spread anywhere we go.

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Subsequently, coming out of Carnival, we have crafted many new genres of music. Music plays an important part in the lives of the people of the Anglophone Caribbean. Apart from the game of cricket, reggae and calypso, the two most common types of music found in the English-speaking Caribbean, are perhaps the most popular forms of cultural expression in the daily lives… (Boxill, 33). Moreover, there are also numerous genres that have also been developed within the region that is indigenous to one or more country. It is incontestable that Soca, Reggae, Chutney, Dancehall and Zouk are among many of the native genres of the region which connects us. In the region we enjoy incorporating the plethora of styles of music within our events and all genres are undoubtedly accepted in each Caribbean country and by extension has slowly invaded the worldwide stage. Quite honestly, one can truly feel the togetherness and warmth of the welcoming beats which are well composed to compliment the movement of our dancing bodies. Music is inarguably an agent of unification no matter which corner of the Caribbean one may journey to.

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In our vastly growing and ever-diversifying society,  it is known, that the very essence of society has been characterized by the socialization of different races and by no means short of the mixing of different cultures. Society is rich in its history. Hence, our Caribbean society has been associated with the phrase plural.  Its association with the term plural society, as we have learnt, it is, …coined by Dr. J. S. Furnivall to describe a society comprising two or more elements or social orders which live side by side withing the same political unit yet without mingling. (Parliamentary Affairs, 55).  This suggests that even if it is shown that the phrase, “all ah we is one,” is, to an extent false, our unique society still bounds us together, forming a multicultural being.