# data[].attributes.body
1) Burton, Roxanne E. "Globalisation and Cultural Identity in Caribbean Society:The Jamaican Case." UWI Journals, n.d. Web. 6th Apr. 2017.
2)"Professor Samaroo: Indentured workers made Caribbean a better place." Professor Samaroo: Indentured workers made Caribbean a better place | The Trinidad Guardian Newspaper. Guardian Trinidad and Tobago, 30 May 2012. Web. 8th Apr. 2017.
3) Singh, Sherry-Ann. "THE EXPERIENCE OF INDIAN INDENTURE IN TRINIDAD: LIVING CONDITIONS ON THE ESTATES." CARIBBEAN ATLAS. The Caribbean Atlas Project, 2013. Web. 5th Apr. 2017.
4) "The Impact of the Haitian Revolution." Haiti Legacy Project. N.p., 8th June 2014. Web. 6th Apr. 2017.
5) Ramlochan, Harry. Personal Interview. 9th, April, 2017.

# data[].attributes.body
Date Taken:  19th April, 2017.
Description: Image of the notes i made throughout the course so that I will be able to reflect on the information that I have learnt.

# data[].attributes.body
Date Visited: March 25th, 2017.
Description : Article from Guardian Newspaper which reflects on the 100 year anniversary of the abolition of indetureship

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
March 18, 19 and 20 of 2017 will mark three days of commemoration of the centennial of the abolition of Indian indentureship.

A global convention is being organised across the Indian diaspora and locally to commemorate the event. Locally, dignitaries from the Indian Diaspora countries are coming to participate and to pay homage to our ancestors who arrived in Trinidad on May 30, 1845, aboard the SS Fatel Rozack.

A number of Indian parliamentarians from the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar will officially represent the Indian government. They are Mr Yogi Adityanath, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Ms Rama Devi, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and Ambassador Mr DM Mulay, secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

In a handout circulated worldwide, the international co-ordinators of this programme traced the history of indentureship and its abolition. Following Emancipation in the British Commonwealth, the recruitment of Indians to fill the labour vacuum, began in several territories.

The first batch of immigrants landed in Reunion Island on April 13, 1828; in Mauritius on November 2, 1834; in Guyana on May 5, 1838; in Malaysia 1840; in Trinidad on May 30, 1845; in South Africa on November 16, 1860; and in Fiji on May 15, 1879.

Countries in the Caribbean region and elsewhere that received Indian labourers are Suriname, Jamaica, Grenada, Belize, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Seychelles, among others. The first batch of immigrants shipped from Kolkata, via the Hesperus, was 155 men, five women, and ten children that were consigned to Gladstone and Moss sugar plantation in Demerara, today known as Guyana.

On the vessel Whitby, there were 250 men, seven women, and ten children assigned to Berbice (Guyana), in the care of James Matthews and John Cameron (agent to Messrs Gillanders & Co of Kolkata). The mortality on board the Hesperus, during the voyage was 14, of which two committed suicide by drowning. The mortality on board the Whitby was four. A total of 419 immigrants from both vessels landed in Guyana in 1838.

In Trinidad the first arrival of Indian indentured immigrants was aboard the SS Fatel Rozack, May 30, 1845. This day is recognised as a public holiday but we observe the entire month of May as our Heritage Month. Our ancestors arrived in Trinidad carrying tattered ends of the Ramayan and the Hanuman Chalisa, in what was referred to as their, "Jahaji Bundle," a substitute for a modern-day suitcase. The "Jahaji Bundle" was a square piece of cloth with the four ends tied together and carried by hand or held on a stick across the shoulder.

The Ramayan and Hanuman Chalisa, two Hindu religious texts written by the saint Tulsidas, sustained the Hindu throughout this harsh period of indentureship on the sugar estates of Trinidad. We pay homage to Goswami Tulsidas, the Hindu saint and poet who captured Hindu thought and philosophy in these two masterpieces that are today studied worldwide.

Migration has played a central role in Indian history. In times of distress, it is generally believed that people need at least two pillars to lean upon, namely, religion and history. It is also recognised that much of Indian Diaspora history is considered to be oral, and if this portion is not documented, it could be lost forever and thus weakening one of our pillars.

March 20, 2017, is the centennial (100 years) of the abolition of Indian indentureship. The history of Indian (labour) migration to various countries of the diaspora is one that is filled with broken dreams, hardships, challenges, sacrifice, as well as accomplishments against great odds. While Indians were battered and bruised, they never fell, and had been able also to move along into new frontiers.

The overall net result has been the emergence of a viable community wherever they have settled. The Indians' rise in the professional, scientific, technological, agriculture and business areas has been impressive, but their contribution to political developments has been mixed, with periods of highs followed by lows.

Migration from India continued for 86 years (1838-1917) during which time, the pressing social, economic and health problems that afflicted the migrant population were ignored or treated casually. Despite their (planters) tight control in the plantation system over several decades, the continuous external pressures, in particular, that was exerted forced the planters to relent and the migration system was abolished in 1917.

Although many Indians had the right to return to India, only a small proportion of them exercised that option. The rest decided to make their indentured territory their new home. From there, many of them migrated to other countries.

Notwithstanding the harsh reality of plantation life, Indians held on to their cultural heritage. Their religion, foods, music and cultural values persisted despite attempts to neutralise these through the process of "Anglicization." Western type education was offered to the children of indentured labourers on condition of conversion to Christianity.

Reflection on our fore parents' resilience and fortitude should inspire this and future generations of Indians. Valuable lessons such as nothing of value comes along easily, individual responsibility, planning and budgeting, deferred gratification, among others, should be explored in terms of their staying power and improvement.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
March 18, 19 and 20 of 2017 will mark three days of commemoration of the centennial of the abolition of Indian indentureship. A global convention is being organised across the Indian diaspora and locally to commemorate the event. Locally, dignitaries

# data[].attributes.body
Date Taken:  1st April, 2017.
Description: Image of multiple doubles sheds that are located near to each other in Debe, Trinidad.

# data[].attributes.body
Date Visited: April 5th, 2017.
Description: Article from the Miami Herald describing the current situation in Haiti with respect to the after effects of Hurricane Mathew.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Six months after Hurricane Matthew tore through Haiti's southern peninsula, shelter and food remain scarce especially in remote, difficult-to-reach areas.

El-Mostafa Benlamlih, the United Nations' humanitarian coordinator and head of the U.N. Development Program for Haiti, said he would not describe the situation as a famine but "it could get close to that" if nothing is done and the hurricane-ravaged areas miss another planting season.

"If now we miss this one, this season, which is the main season for agriculture ... then we will be in deep trouble in May, June and July," Benlamlih said in a Miami Herald interview. "There are pockets of food insecurity particularly in remote areas...[People] don't eat enough. They have to use coping strategies like drop one meal or send the kids to the uncle or family in Port-au-Prince. That's what they are trying to do to survive."

Benlamlih had just gotten back from four days in the southwest and Grand' Anse regions where Matthew's 145 mph winds struck the hardest, flooding streets, destroying homes and uprooting fruit-bearing trees. He went there shortly after South Florida-based charity Food For The Poor sounded the alarm on what it said was a food shortage in the regions so severe "that families have turned in desperation to fruits and foliage known to be poisonous, if consumed uncooked, in an attempt to quell their hunger and save their lives."

At least 13 people had died over the span of 10 days in the Grand' Anse, the charity said last month after reporting that one of its teams had come across 240 people, including 84 women and 62 children, living in a mountain cave in Fonds Rouge Dahere, a rural village in the outskirts of Jeremie, the capital of the Grand' Anse.

Also in March, Haiti's agriculture agency reported that more than 180,000 people in the Grand' Anse were living in an "emergency situation."

In response to the crisis, charities such as Food For The Poor and Pompano Beach Cross International, rushed container loads of food to the region for distribution to families.

With the international spotlight on the Haitians living in caves, Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and newly appointed Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant immediately arranged a trip to the area. There, Moïse - who later called a meeting with foreign diplomats representing Haiti's major donor countries to ask for better coordination of humanitarian aid - announced that the government was taking charge of the situation. It would build houses for the cave dwellers, and start a community restaurant to feed villagers, the president announced.

"We came to see with our eyes, and to tell you," Moïse said standing in front of a cave in Fonds Rouge, "I don't agree with anyone on this earth using your misery for political gain."

Nearly two weeks after that visit, despite a tweet by the presidency that the community restaurant had been operational since April 1, a local priest and a community leader told the Herald that housing and food are still difficult to find. The restaurant, they said, isn't functioning.

"On the promise of the president, everyone left the cave," said Jean-Berlin Depeine, a father of two and leader of the group in the cave who said he sought refuge there after Matthew destroyed his home. "Up until now, the people haven't found any housing."

Father Edison Barthelemy Feuille, a local priest who worked with Food For The Poor, said even the charity has stopped distributions after the president's visits.

"In Fonds Rouge, the situation remains complicated," Feuille said. "The people need some kind of humanitarian intervention in order for them to survive."

Feuille and Depeine both said they saw a truck come through Fonds Rouge on Tuesday with cooked rice and beans and "some kind of meat."

"But it wasn't even enough - maybe it could have fed 40 people," Feuille said.

A presidential spokesman and adviser did not respond to a Herald inquiry about the current situation in Fonds Rouge.

The storm created $2.8 million in damages, which is one-third of Haiti's gross domestic product, or "the equivalent of what the diaspora is sending to Haiti in a year," Benlamlih, the U.N. humanitarian chief said.

"It didn't just affect the income of the people, but also their capacity to produce," he added.

While the humanitarian response provided water, food distributions and temporary shelter in schools to many of the 2 million people who were impacted by the storm, Benlamlih, who only recently arrived in Haiti, said there wasn't enough focus on recovery in the early days after the storm.

"Not enough attention was paid to putting those people back on their feet for them to be able to produce what they have lost. They have lost their trees like mango and breadfruit... They must be able to produce this year," he said.

Meanwhile, interest in the recovery process has waned just when Haitians need it the most.

After Matthew, the United Nations issued a $139 million emergency appeal for humanitarian aid of which only $86 million was funded, according to the report on its website. For this year, the global body is seeking $250.3 million for Haiti to meet the needs of Matthew victims and also other humanitarian assistance.

"We still have 1 million people who receive aid, still in need of help," Benlamlih said. "All sectors are affected. Fisheries, agriculture, infrastructure is affected.

"A lot has been done but more needs to be done," he added. "We still need humanitarian assistance and to help this country have more options."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Six months after Hurricane Matthew, food, shelter still scarce in Haiti

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Six months after Hurricane Matthew tore through Haiti's southern peninsula, shelter and food remain scarce especially in remote, difficult-to-reach areas. El-Mostafa Benlamlih, the United Nations' humanitarian coordinator and head of the U.N. Development Program for Haiti, said he would not describe the situation as a famine but "it could get close to that" if nothing is done and the hurricane-ravaged areas miss another planting season.

# data[].attributes.body
Date Taken:  Sunday March 12th 2017.
Description: Short clip of the phagwa experience in my community.

# data[].attributes.body
Date Recorded: 9th April, 2017.
Description: Voice recording with Mr. Harry Ramlochan of Cedar Hill Village of a short discussion on the meanings of Phagwa.

# data[].attributes.body
Date Taken: 1st April, 2017.
Description: Image of Mr. Frank Supersad displaying classical instrument such as, hand drum, dantal and the organ.

# data[].attributes.body
Caribbean Civilization can be described as a revisionist course that addressed a variety of topics over the past 10 weeks through a banded learning approach using both online and face to face mechanisms. This approach was very holistic as it brought together the Caribbean Civilization students on a much broader scale. The online approach facilitated a larger pool of students for discussions and through this, new information about other islands was easily learnt. This approach can be described as effective, especially because it removed any physical boundaries and made it more convenient. The program was very enlightening as I was not fully aware of the Caribbean’s full and detailed history and its civilization to this day prior to doing this course.  It was an educational journey in understanding the struggles that our ancestors faced and challenges they would have overcome for history to take the course that it did. I intend fully to uphold all principles, values and traditions on their behalf. This course has fueled my enthusiasm to further edify myself about the true history of the Caribbean region, and therefore, sensitize as many people as I can while embarking on said journey. This course has made me feel proud to identify with Caribbean identity and I intend to continue doing so.

# data[].attributes.headline
 A PROBLEM OF REGIONAL IMPORTANCE AS REFLECTED IN CURRENT AFFAIRS- 5th April, 2017.

# data[].attributes.subject
 A PROBLEM OF REGIONAL IMPORTANCE AS REFLECTED IN CURRENT AFFAIRS- 5th April, 2017.

# data[].attributes.body
During 1791-1804, a people rose from the ashes and fought for the freedom they believed they deserved. The Haitian Revolution was the first successful slave rebellion in the Caribbean and therefore, this uprising resulted in San Domingue achieving its independence from slavery and now being controlled by ex-slaves and former captives. Herein lies the problems, these blacks were not knowledagble on how to manage Haiti’s resources and economy like the white businessmen. Therefore, from the onset of Haiti’s Independence, its governmental structure was poorly set up. For all the damage caused by the revolution, Haiti owed 150 millions Francs to France in reparations as they were previously a French colony. Due to Haiti’s poor economic conditions, they were never able to re-pay. These reasons account for the level of suffering that the people of Haiti’s face currently.

Natural disasters have often struck Haiti and the country has never been able to revive. It is believed that Haiti will run into a famine in the near future and many are losing hope. One can incur that Haiti’s current situation has its root in its past. The rush to achieve independence and not go through an apprenticeship period like most of the other Caribbean territories where the people slowly learnt formal processes of governance to take over their own territories is what could be responsible for its unstable government and economy. The strength it would have took for the blacks to fight for their freedom is not to blamed, however, the long term effects are very clear.

# data[].attributes.headline
UNDERSTANDING ONE'S SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT-  11th April, 2017.

# data[].attributes.subject
UNDERSTANDING ONE'S SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT-  11th April, 2017.

# data[].attributes.body
When the East Indians came, they brought with them their culture and traditions which included festivals such as, Divali and Holi, better known as Phagwa. Since then, Phagwa has continued to be celebrated as an expression of culture in many communities, in particular, one can observe its effects in the community of Cedar Hill, Trinidad. Phagwa can be described as a festival of colours. On this day persons play together with abeer, forgive and forget and start fresh since this is the true meaning behind phagwa. Phagwa serves as a unifying event where every member comes out to participate including young, old and anywhere in between. Parents boil abeer and fill buckets with it which is then used by the children to throw at each other. There is music, dance and traditional singing. This continues on for hours and it brings a lot of laughter and joy. One can observe that Phagwa plays an important role in this community as it allows its members to bond, integrate, and be part of a bigger family, as well as to further understand oneself. Phagwa has significantly impacted the lives of those who reside in this community as an outsider can observe how these different groups of people interact and co-exist with each other.

# data[].attributes.headline
 CRITICAL THINKPIECE                                         OF AN ISSUE OF IMPORTANCE TO                                         CARIBBEAN CIVILIZATION - 1st April, 2017.

# data[].attributes.subject
 CRITICAL THINKPIECE                                         OF AN ISSUE OF IMPORTANCE TO                                         CARIBBEAN CIVILIZATION - 1st April, 2017.

# data[].attributes.body
Exactly 100 years ago, thousands of Indians came from Calcutta, Madras and Bombay on the SS Fatal Rozack to the Caribbean to work as indentured laborers. This chapter in time was recognized, honored and celebrated earlier this year as the Mastana Bahar hosted an event in memory of indentureship at the Divali Nagar site in Couva, Trinidad. This program highlighted the East Indian tradition through dance, song and wear. From  a bystanders’ viewpoint, one would notice that the traditions of the East Indian culture was well represented. Additionally, many well recognized dignitaries from around the world were present as they gave speeches about their opinions and feelings. The speeches were truly moving as it showed how sensitized they were to these past events and that the building stones of the Caribbean’s history is not going untold or being forgotten. For someone who was not knowledgeable, this program was very informative.
After indentureship ended, the indentured laborers had the option to return to home,  however, many refused and instead made the Caribbean their new home. The East Indian race is more prominent in some nations such as Guyana and Trinidad than others. In Trinidad, one will observe the Indian tradition through many things such as, Hindu weddings where old practices such as burying the lawah is still carried out, tassa music, as well as classical singing performed by bands with instruments such as the dantal and hand drum can also be found. Additionally, the cuisine in Trinidad is heavily influenced by East Indian culture, dishes such as channa and aloo and roti is prepared for poojas. Indian delicacies such as jaleebee, kurma, doubles and aloo pies can be found in multiple sheds in the area of Debe, South Trinidad. The coming of Indians has indeed shaped a way of life in the Caribbean which is still upheld and valued to this day as principles, values and traditions are still up kept.

# data[].attributes.headline
                                                                                                                                                    INTRODUCTION

# data[].attributes.subject
                                                                                                                                                    INTRODUCTION

# data[].attributes.body
According to Spanish philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952), “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This statement does not necessarily have to be taken in it’s  literal sense but it does indeed highlight the importance of being knowledgeable and aware of one’s history. One should not limit his or her perspective to what they have witnessed in their lifetime only, as much of it could have been influenced by situations many years prior. Even if these events were not of determining factors, it may have significance up to this day. From a contemporary Caribbean civilization standpoint, it is safe to say that the unique history of the Caribbean is at the root of today’s culture, values and principles, and in general, one’s way of life. Therefore, the history of the Caribbean is well worth remembering as the journey that brought us here to this day deserves to be highlighted and reflected upon.