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The danger of a single               story.

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The danger of a single               story.

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There is a quote used by my mother whenever a situation arises that entails the recollection of an event “There is never one side to a story.”, this was the first thought that came to mind while listening to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s  words. An event can be seen from many points of view but there is always one view that will always trump the others because of whom may have related the event from that particular view because the whom has a high position. For instance for years it was said and thought that Christopher Columbus discovered the Caribbean but in fact he rediscovered, the islands were inhabited long before by the First People such as the Paleo-Indians , Meso-Indians and Neo-Indian.

The Neo-Indian Society were described as cannibals by the Europeans but this was untrue. Historians archaeologists used middens to gain insight on the Neo-Indian society and found no proof of cannibalism. Before this proof was discovered majority of society believe that they were cannibals but they weren’t. This conception was due to existence of only one universal account of the events at that point in time. The Europeans were consider higher ranked compared to the First People therefore the Europeans description of the Neo-Indians were accepted to be the truth. This lead to the creation of a stereotype towards the Neo-Indians.

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The very first wave of migration into the Americas occurred about 25,000 years ago when the Beringia ice-bridge or land-bridge facilitated Asian migration into the Americas. These early migrants, it is alleged, crossed the land/ice-bridge in search of food, entering Alaska from which they spread over the course of many centuries to the rest of the Americas.

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Someone’s identity may be defined as individual characteristics, style that is fundamental to a person and is used recognise a person. Identity is influenced by personal choice but also by society through existing social and cultural situations. In the Caribbean the identity that exist it very unique because it is influenced by multiple cultures. Race and ethnicity is the base for identity, particular characteristics of an individual are influenced by their ethnicity. In the Caribbean there are many ethnic groups that exist, it’s like  cliques in high school .Religion is also used to structure ones identity , in the Caribbean everyone celebrates different religious occasions even though they don’t belong to that particular faith. Hence religion and ethnicity can’t be the main determinant of Caribbean Identity. History and Politics are features that are shared among the Caribbean islands, history experiences such as slavery, indentureship and colonialism creates a forum for unity among Caribbean islands and contributes towards the Caribbean identity. The linguistics that exist within the Caribbean is highly unique, the mixture of different languages, during slavery, indentureship and colonialism none of the groups spoke the same language but over the years they learned to communicate by mixing their language with English resulting in the formation of creole. In light of the demographic and cultural diversity of the Caribbean and the range of factors that can impact on identity, it has been argued that there is no such thing as a single Caribbean Identity. This belief emerges from the reality of the differences that can be identified within the region, which makes having a Caribbean Identity extremely unique.

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IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A CARIBBEAN IDENTITY?

Nicholas Laughlin asks the question: "Is there such a thing as a Caribbean identity?" in an article entitled "What 'Caribbean' can mean." We bring you today extracts from that article, the full length of which appears in THE ARTS JOURNAL Volume 2 Number 2 (2006).

This column welcomes responses to this question and other pertinent questions posed by Laughlin, as we, too, ponder the concept of a Caribbean identity from a Guyanese perspective.

Responses that engage discussions critically and meaningfully could be published in this column.

* * * *
"What 'Caribbean' can mean" by Nicholas Laughlin
What does "Caribbean" mean? What a vast weight of confusion and possibility and debate those four little syllables have to bear.

Is "Caribbean" a geographical region defined by proximity to a body of water, by insularity (in the literal sense), by lines of latitude?

Is it a group of nations and proto-nations defined by a common history or culture, or by political links? Is it an aspiration, an attitude, an illusion? Is its meaning determined by presence or absence? Has it an antonym?

This is a knot of questions unlikely ever to be completely unraveled; scholars and politicians and ordinary people will be picking away for foreseeable decades. And these are questions that snag through the pattern of my professional life, not abstractions but practical worries, tightropes to cross and tripwires to vault.

I edit a magazine called Caribbean Beat. The Question of "Caribbeanness" is one I confront every day.

****
Is there such a thing as a Caribbean identity or spirit or culture, shared by all the territories clustered around the Caribbean Sea, regardless of language or political status?
Yes, is the answer that many of the region's artists and thinkers and visionaries have given and continue to give.

But pinning down that identity, naming its essence or essences, and using that knowledge to guide the Caribbean's young societies through the minefield of the modern world, these are problems we are yet to solve (and one particularly intractable problem is the very question of "we", the practical ways in which Caribbean citizens do or do not, may or may not, act as members of a community or a culture that extends beyond the shores of individual islands).

And there are problems complicated by the fact that for great periods in our respective or collective histories, the "Caribbean" (or "West Indies" or "Antilles") has been defined by outsiders looking in.

Even today - see the evidence for what Google, the global mind, thinks of us - the Caribbean as most of the world understands it is a tropical paradise where long ago there were pirates and more recently Bob Marley was born.

Or else by insiders - Caribbean men and women - who were trained and educated "outside", at metropolitan universities, their systems of investigation and comprehension derived from the historical experiences of older, colder countries.

Only in the last thirty or forty years have thinkers begun to recognize the imperative for the Caribbean to understand itself in its own terms, to look through eyes unblinkered by imported theories, define itself in a language of its own invention.

Lloyd Best's seminal essay "Independent Thought and Caribbean Freedom", first published in 1967, may [yet] be the definitive statement of the case:

Social change in the Caribbean has to and can only begin in the minds of Caribbean men. If we are to act for change, our philosophers and our theorists have first to understand how we relate to ourselves and to the wider world in which we live.

Forty years later, we are still depressingly far from achieving this apparently simple, actually titanic ideal.
'Diaspora' is a word long fashionable among Caribbean scholars (as 'transnational' is now becoming) and, of course, in this context, it refers not just to citizens of the Caribbean - descended from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and cut off by history and geography from those ancestral lands - but also to the Caribbean Diaspora in the rest of the world: Caribbean people and their descendants who for one reason or another have left the islands of their birth, taking elements of Caribbean culture into the wider world, creating new connections and fusions.

Louise Bennett invented the phrase 'colonization in reverse' to describe the migration of the Windrush generation to Britain, and perhaps we should also think of this phenomenon as a new form of creolisation, as elements of an already hybrid Caribbean culture go forth to negotiate with other cultures to create new and unpredictable hybrids.

* * * *
I began with questions and end with a personal account.
The older I get, the better I understand myself, the more I see of the territories strung through and around this body of water, the more I realize that (and how) I am a Caribbean person; and the complicated and very real divisions of ethnicity, language, class, island, and nation (whatever 'nation' means) that run through these territories do not and cannot fundamentally threaten that notion of 'Caribbeanness' that I share with thousands - millions? - of people who I have no trouble conceiving of a compatriots.

It may be true that the average individual living in this messy little pocket of the world, eyes firmly on the basic goal of survival and happiness, thinks of himself or herself foremost as a Jamaican, Kittitian, Vincentian, and so on.

But enough of us accept and believe in a bigger, genuinely, and distinctively Caribbean identity for the word - the definition - the aspiration - to carry weight of validity and the charge of possibility.

And the path by which I have come to think, feel, and believe all this has run directly through the magazine I edit.

In the four years I have spent working on Caribbean Beat, my understanding of the place I am from, my roots and role and responsibilities here, have changed in ways sometimes subtle, sometimes radical.

I was born thirteen years after Trinidad and Tobago's Independence, and a year before we became a republic, cutting our formal ties with the British monarchy.

I grew up thinking of myself sometimes as Trinidadian, sometimes as a citizen of the world; but Caribbean mostly (and merely) in the geographic sense.

As Beat's editor, I have had to learn a great deal about places, phenomena, and people across the rest of the region, widened my circle of contacts to include almost every Caribbean territory.

I have noticed sometimes surprising differences, but more often even more surprising similarities between islands, cities, and ways of life separated by hundreds of miles of sea.

The breakthrough moment, perhaps, occurred on a trip to St. Lucia in February 2004. Walking Castries - a city I had never visited and where I was about to get lost - I was struck by this thought: this place is mine too.

From that moment I have thought of myself as - paraphrasing Ian McDonald - Trinidadian by birth, and Caribbean by conviction, even if I am still trying to understand quite what that means.

Nicholas Laughlin was editor of the Caribbean Beat In-Flight Magazine from 2003 - 2006. He is now editor of The Caribbean Review of Books.

THE ARTS JOURNAL is available at all leading bookstores or from the editor.
Note:
To contact the editor:
Telephone 227 6825.
E-mail:[email protected]
Website: www.theartsjournal.org.gy

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IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A CARIBBEAN IDENTITY?

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Nicholas Laughlin asks the question: "Is there such a thing as a Caribbean identity?" in an article entitled "What 'Caribbean' can mean." We bring you today extracts from that article, the full length of which appears in THE ARTS JOURNAL Volume 2 Number 2 (2006).

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CARICOM stands for Caribbean Community and Common Market, it was formed in 1973 to replace the Caribbean Free Trade Area which failed to allow the free movement of labour and capital, as well as the harmonization of industrial and foreign policies throughout the region. One of CARICOMs’ main goal is to integrate all member states into a single economic unit.
The economic unification will hopefully resolve multiple issues being faced by the developing member states. CARICOM also aims to improve social development in the member states via education, health, labour rights and preserving the mixture of cultures within the region. Over the years CARICOM's’ success rate is not relatively high, they are often criticized as being slow and inefficient. In present time, situations aroused that involved members states that were breaching the laws that facilitate free movement. Several CARICOM states have denied nationals entry without submitting proper information to why the nationals were refused entry. Under Community laws, all CARICOM countries must facilitate the travel of nationals by granting a state of six months in the first instance except in circumstances where the person is described as an "undesirable" or where the person will be a cost to the host country's finances. These situations shows that regional integration is far from being formed. Time is a concept not fully understood by some, some fail to realize development and change takes time and you won’t be able to see the success of a newly implemented process right away.

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana:
A Caribbean Community (CARICOM) report has strongly condemned several member states it suggests are deliberately ignoring rules and court decisions to facilitate free movement, a guaranteed right under community laws.

The report, seen by The Gleaner, has also revealed that several CARICOM states which have denied nationals entry have failed to submit the information to the Joint Regional Communication Centre, even in cases where the denials were widely reported in the media.

"Member States are not submitting complete data to the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) as refusals that have been a matter of public record are not in the APIS," read a section of the report distributed to CARICOM leaders meeting in Guyana for the 37th heads of government conference.

While the report does not name the offending CARICOM countries, it pointed to the case of 12 Jamaicans who were denied entry into Trinidad and Tobago March.

Treaty violations
That matter, it said, was not submitted by the immigration authorities in the republic.

There is also concern that some member states who are refusing entry to CARICOM nationals are violating the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice, which affirmed the right of entry of CARICOM nationals in the Shanique Myrie case.

"In several instances where member states refused entry, the reasons for refusal do not accord with the 2007 Conference decision as interpreted by the Court. This is also reflective of complaints received from Community nationals wherein the exact reasons for refusal do not appear to have been stated orally and written reasons furnished, other than possibly a citation of the provision of the Immigration Act which allows for refusal," read the document.

It said there have been several instances of nationals being granted less than six months stay in CARICOM countries contrary to the 2007 right of entry of Community nationals decision.

Under Community laws, all CARICOM countries must facilitate the travel of nationals by granting a state of six months in the first instance except in circumstances where the person is described as an "undesirable" or where the person will be a cost to the host country's finances.

The CCJ has affirmed that the exceptions must be narrowly interpreted with the national giving significant opportunities to challenge any decision to deny entry.

Fixing the issues
To fix the issues, the CARICOM leaders are expected to mandate a range of actions including the convening of a meeting of the chief immigration officers, CARICOM ambassadors, and other relevant officials, to address the challenges being experienced by Community nationals travelling throughout the region.

A protocol is also to be completed to formalise a process on how to deal with free movement issues. The document is expected to be adopted when leaders meet in Guyana next year February for their inter-sessional talks.

The long standing issue of travel facilitation, which was discussed yesterday, was put on the agenda of the CARICOM heads of government conference following a request by Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

According to Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Holness expressed frustration during a business meeting yesterday about Jamaicans facing difficulties to enter CARICOM countries.

"Jamaica, in particular, expressed its frustration that in many instances member countries have not been respecting the article for the free movement of people and Trinidad and Tobago spoke about further cooperation to encourage the movement of goods between CARICOM countries," Browne told The Gleaner.

"But a point was made by Andrew Holness that just as how we need to facilitate the movement of goods, you also have to facilitate the movement of people,"he said.

jovan.johnson@gleanerjm.com

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CARICOM report condemns member states for free movement breaches

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana: A Caribbean Community (CARICOM) report has strongly condemned several member states it suggests are deliberately ignoring rules and court decisions to facilitate free movement, a guaranteed right under community laws.

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‘Not this again.’ That’s the thought that came to mind when I heard that the foundation course was Caribbean Civilization, having done Caribbean Studies in form 6 it wasn’t a great experience. I had a passion for learning about history especially Caribbean history but the essays won’t my forte. But the Caribbean Civilization course changed that for me. I was able to hear and read about Caribbean history in a new light and my thoughts on particular topics won’t classed as wrong or right. The one topic that really captured my attention was that I thought slavery was the same all over the world, but that was not the case slavery in Africa was a form of paying off a debt, but being a slave in Africa you still had human rights you would have been able to earn a wage, see your family and such. But something that has got me thinking when the Europeans came to Africa to purchase slaves from the tribe leaders did they know they type of conditions that their people will have to  undergo or did they think it was an opportunity for them to earn more. The Caribbean Civilization course experience is very unique and I’m really grateful for the new and enjoyable experience, especially the lectures and tutorials.

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Guyadeen, J. (2017, April 06). CARICOM divided: The myth of Caribbean free movement. Retrieved December 01, 2017, from https://wired868.com/2016/05/15/caricom-divided-the-myth-of-caribbean-free-movement

CARICOM report condemns member states for free movement breaches. (2016, July 06). Retrieved December 01, 2017, from http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20160706/caricom-report-condemns-member-states-free-movement-breaches

Reflection Facilitated by QR Codes. (n.d.). Retrieved December 01, 2017, from https://learninginhand.com/blog/2013/7/5/roll-reflect-with-qr-codes

(n.d.). Retrieved December 01, 2017, from http://www.caribbean-atlas.com/en/themes/waves-of-colonization-and-control-in-the-caribbean/waves-of-colonization/first-wave-pre-columbian-arrivants.html