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Have you heard the phrase ‘all ah we is one’? Whether a native or a foreigner, one can tell from the vibrancy and bravado of Caribbean people that a sense of unity lives within them. While someone with minimal knowledge of Caribbean history will say that the region is that of a peaceful, simple place, the better informed will tell that it took may years of hardship and tumultuous growing pains to become unified in such a way. If one assesses the region’s history, they will notice a pattern. Each island has a tragic history of being manipulated and exploited by European powerhouses, which of course had long lasting effects on the people of each respective island. From the times of colonization and slavery, vastly different cultures and ways of life were driven into the minds of the inhabitants, creating a stark clash of cultures which made irreconcilable differences among the Caribbean people in many facets of life. The Caribbean as a strong community has been in continuous effort to pull through this treacherous past into a unified future. Through a close examination, a hope exists to achieve a better understand of the truth behind unity, where it stands and what the future holds for it.

Source: Socawarriors.net

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First, let us establish the cause for the incessant segregation in the Caribbean. This dates back, as Patterson (p. 16) puts it, “…to the extended era of slave resistance and revolution in the Caribbean.” In his lecture delivery, Patterson points fingers at the failure of crown colony government and the consequently loose footing that the then emancipated Africans and indentured labourers had in society. As the planter society at the time of King sugar would have it, the labourers, regardless of their origins, were treated with a divide-and-rule method. After the emancipation of Africans, however, came the indentureship system with the East Indians, a system as equally gruelling and torturesome as the prior. With the methods that the Plantocracy implemented, like shunning the now emancipated Africans of opportunities for a better life, there grew an animosity between the two groups of people, though they experienced similar hardships. It is argued that this longstanding fight between the both is what gives rise to the various occasions of segregation that are seen in the Caribbean today. Through ways of politics, religion, culture and so on, the animosity lives on. Allahar (p. 8) states in his paper “Unity and Diversity in Caribbean ethnicity and Culture” that  “… it must not be assumed that structural similarities add up to cultural unity…”, referring to a different type of segregation being formed aside from the labour woes experienced in the region, which was that of the different cultures inculcated by the various colonisers. Allahar makes mention of the heavy influences of the Dutch on Suriname, or the English on Barbados and the French on Martinique, showcasing the vast range of cultures in the Caribbean. He outlines the root of classification between the plantocracy and labourers, those free and unfree etc., which gave way to “…a set of hybrid, creole cultures that did not become fully fused at all the various national levels, far less regionally.” (p. 10) He theorises that the multiplicity of cultures that could not fully mesh together is “…best understood as unintended consequences of the colonial process…” (p. 11). Allahar then points to another historian, Elsa Goveia, who further solidifies the fracture of unity through the evidence of severe unrest in the 1930’s as well as the ongoing guerrilla warfare of the Spanish Caribbean to name a few. This struggle of unity has therefore been a problem of the long run for the region, of no inherent fault to each island. While the discussion of unity is analysed and found to be heavily cracked, the attempts at unification are certainly not to be ignored. When speaking of unity, a prominent figure of the movement is the Honourable Dr. Eric Williams, a man who spearheaded many of these tries at holding the pieces together to form a whole. Though the first attempts proved unsuccessful such as the establishment of the short-lived West Indian Federation of 1958, throughout his career Dr. Williams kept moving for peace and unity. Patterson (p. 18) quotes Dr. Williams’ infamous statement “One from ten leaves naught” in response to the shattering of the Federation as one of many powerful stances that the former President has had on the subject. As time passed, a dream longed after by the peace seekers was finally achieved through the establishment of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which proved to be a step towards victory for having common grounds within the Caribbean. CARICOM has provided the region with a platform in which they can form together as one whole, to strengthen their voice in the face of the global community. Other grandiose achievements include the establishment of the CXC Council, giving the Caribbean a common examination body upon which the students of the region may abide by, as well as the establish of The University of the West Indies (UWI), a world class university which provides the region’s young minds a place to hone their skills and shape them into leaders of the future.
Source: The Caribbean Review

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Penultimately, one can also examine the culture of the Caribbean, where the realm of culture reigns over others in society. Culture encompasses the behaviours, social norms and customs of a certain society. As such, the region possesses quite lively and rich cultures, being created by the various experiences throughout history. While the culture is seen as inclusive and diverse, within each island exists the air of the past, inherently promoting segregation of those who agree with different cultures. To give perspective, a first example may be drawn from the religious perspective within each territory. Due to a history of immigration, slavery and indentureship, the Caribbean’s isles have been blended to form a vast and inclusive mix of ethnicities and of course religions. Religion has played a major role in the Caribbean lifestyle, as Maitland affirms “Religion in the Caribbean is an enduring institution and an integral part of our culturescape.” Religion is held with high regards, in that devotees of respective religions abide by the teachings strictly, attend services etc. on a regular basis. It goes without saying, for most Caribbean people religion comes first above all else. Consequently, there is sometimes a sort of intolerance for flexibility within their families with respect to religious regime. Within certain territories, there is a stigma of marrying outside one’s religion, for example a Hindu woman marrying a Muslim man. It is often looked down upon and ends in disownment by family in extreme cases. It is due to these sorts of heavy constraints that in islands such as Trinidad, there is a distinctive separation of religious groups. Apart from issues such as marital affairs, there also exists exclusion of certain religions based on their origins. Within the Caribbean, certain religions are looked down upon because they may have been associated with negative connotations or being associated with ‘devil worshipping’. An example of this exclusion is found imposed on the Shouter Baptists in Trinidad, who were denied the right to practice their faith completely, until the repeal of 1951. Other examples include foreign entities such as the United States publicly scolding Haiti for their lack of inclusivity towards the religion of Voodooism, which is officially a registered religion but is not allowed to be practised. A report from the Jamaica Observer stated that “…Voodoo community leaders stated Voodoo practitioners continued to experience some social stigmatisation for their beliefs and practices”, which speaks volumes to the taboo yet widely known divide among Caribbean people.
Source: IITAE

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Finally, there is one more area of Caribbean culture to be discussed. This one is a quite well known region wide, but particularly in islands of a large African to Indian ratio, it is an ever growing issue. This is the problem of politics and it’s current agenda of contorting the nations to partake in race politics. Let’s take the example of Trinidad and Tobago. In a country such as this, where African-Trinidadians and Indo-Trinidadians make up the majority of the population, racial influence is inherent when it comes to government. There are two main political parties, the United National Congress (UNC) and the People’s National Movement (PNM). While there indeed exists a mixture of supporters belonging to each party, the leaders of said parties focus their lines of attack to allude back to racial discrimination. For example, an article written by AP News outlined the negative response then prime minister Basdeo Panday received for his remarks of claiming the prominent Ken Gordon as a ‘pseudo-racist’. The rest of the article highlights different incidents upon which the former Prime Minister accuses his opponents of racist motive, and eventually comments that “…it highlighted deepening mutual suspicions among Indian and black leaders in this racially mixed Caribbean nation.” Another example to look at is that of the Guyanese elections which occurred more recently in March 2020. In an article titled “Guyana Elections: When thoughts of racial harmony fizzle into senselessness, hopelessness and nothingness!” written by Earl Bousquet, the author voices his opinion on the history of racial politics in Guyana as inspired by the most recent. He states that Guyana especially tends to use one’s race as a precursor to judging their ability. The history he says, that blinds and divides the Guyanese into simply following the leader of the party whose skin colour is the same as their own. These examples provided can attest to the way that parts of the Caribbean live, where they have internalised the colonial divide imposed upon them, with a long way to go still.
Source: Ikonet.com

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Despite these fractured racial relations however, the bright side must be shown. The Caribbean has a lot do still, that indeed, but it is worth mentioning the progress that this society has in fact made. Throughout the years, the younger people who have learned more progressive ways have found happiness and solidarity amongst their Caribbean brothers. Through the means of globalization, various communities through means of online blogs, groups, etc. a sort of unity has been formed. Of course, with such a progressive society today the issue of racism and religious discrimination is on the decline, with many fighting for the cause of interracial and inter-faith unions avidly. Most notably, the Caribbean identity is most amplified in the diaspora abroad, where those who have left their home countries find great pride in supporting the Caribbean based festivals such as Caribana in Toronto or the Nottingham Festival in England. There is also a tight bond amongst sports fans, music fans, etc., where Caribbean natives feel pride and joy at watching those of their soil excel in the various areas.
Source: Caribbean National Weekly

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The Caribbean is a place of vibrancy, where life is static. Perhaps it is true that in certain areas, the region falls behind on the world scale, and perhaps this is a fault of nobody but the people. Though they felt a history of oppression and a cultural heist by the greater powers, the future is there for them to shape and make the most of. With this being said however, the Caribbean still is a place that is filled with pockets of acceptance, good vibes and love, so maybe there is some truth to our seemingly harmonious image to the world. What is important however, is that we become fully educated on exactly what encompasses the Caribbean identity, to full understand why life is as fractured as it is so that we can do better. The future holds greatness for this beautiful place, and its important to understand and embrace this culture because ultimately on some level, all ah we is one!