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Date: October 17th 2017
"I myself have never been able to find out precisely what Feminism is: I only know that people call me a Feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a Doormat".- Rebecca West
Caribbean feminism is grounded on the experiences and trials of women from the struggles for freedom since the establishment of the dictatorship, of the plantation society. Feminism in the Caribbean originated as far as the 17th and 18th century, such as the period of Trans-Atlantic Slavery. During this era there was a great demand for black male labour, women were a measure that reproduced the slavery system naturally and hence, from the inception of the plantation, female reproductive capabilities were essential to the productivity of the plantation economy, however, it did not end there. In the post-emancipation period with the arrival of Indians to the Caribbean, the misconception that Indian women only purpose was to oversee the activities of the household came with these indentured workers.   Even though women’s responsibility was seen to deal with child bearing and the wellbeing of a household, women were still involved in agricultural labour as to maximise productivity in the plantation, even though their wages were less than men. Therefore, Black women and indentured women would face the task of fighting against the racist institutional and ideological order of slavery as well as the patriarchal gender ideologies by both white males and black males.

Within the Caribbean the Nuclear Family from a Patriarchal perspective was set up as the most suitable model of family, consisting of a non-earning housewife and the father as the breadwinner of the household. Today, feminism in the Caribbean has organized and built theory around sexual identities, Indigenous, Afro and Indo-Caribbean feminisms, critical masculinities work, women and climate change and more visibly, online blogs that build dialogue within the region and the extra-regional diaspora.

The feminist agenda, as it applies in the twenty-first century, comprises a mission to expose more concretely the socioeconomic flaws within the patriarchal system. Specifically, that "patriarchal privilege costs both men and society a heavy price, and that there are alternative and more fruitful ways of organizing the sexual division of labour, of managing households and families, of ruling societies and shaping welfare policies, and of structuring the global political economy such that the arguments between ethnic or radicalized groups, different class and sexes, are not resolved through violence and warfare “Feminism in the Caribbean.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Sept. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism_in_the_Caribbean.

REFERENCES

https://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Homegrown-Feminism-in-the-Caribbean-20160920-0004.html

“Feminism in the Caribbean.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Sept. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism_in_the_Caribbean.
http://myelearning.sta.uwi.edu/pluginfile.php/355574/mod_resource/content/1/Unit%209.pdf
https://sta.uwi.edu/crgs/april2007/journals/Diversity-Feb_2007.pdf

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This is a resources page dedicated to Caribbean Feminism, historical Women's Movements and existing Feminist and Women's Organizations in the Caribbean. Existing Women's Organizations:
The Women Speak Project - "The WomenSpeak Project's Mission is to provide a forum for women to tell their stories of discrimination and the ways it has affected them."

Jahajee Sisters: Empowering Indo-Caribbean Women - "Jahajee Sisters is a movement-building organization, led by Indo-Caribbean women, committed to creating a safe and equitable society. We foster solidarity and empowerment through dialogue, arts, leadership development and grassroots organizing. "
Writing on Women's Movements Throughout Caribbean History:
CODE RED Women's Circles [Barbados] - "Code Red for Gender is a feminist activist collective of Caribbean women, men and everyone else between or beyond the binary. We recognise everyone's right to a good life."
** Abstract: In this paper I explore the emergence of women's organizations and feminist consciousness in the twentieth century in the English-speaking (Commonwealth) Caribbean. The global ideas concerning women's equality from the 1960s onwards clearly informed the initiatives taken by both women and states of the Caribbean. None the less, the paper illustrates, by use of examples, the interlocked nature of women's struggles with the economic, social and political issues which preoccupy the region's population. I examine in greater detail two case studies of women's activism and mobilization around the impact of structural adjustment policies in the two territories of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. By tracing the connections between and among the organizations and initiatives of women in the region, the paper situates the feminist movement in the English-speaking Caribbean as a continuously evolving one, fusing episodic struggles in different territories, engaging women of different classes and groups, and continuously building on past experience.
Women's Movements and Caribbean in the Commonwealth Caribbean: The Response to Global Economic Crisis in the 1980s. [Feminist Review No. 59, 1998.] by Rhoda Reddock [JSTOR]

Why the Insecurity Around Women's Movements? (Grenada) by Richie Maitland

** An article that challenges the misogynist attitudes of Grenadian men in power against feminist activists in Grenada. Maitland writes, "In Mr. Jawahir... suggests that 'these people' (women's organizers in Grenada), are urging women to leave their spouses and so are contributing to social decay. This suggestion fails to realise that a woman leaving her partner doesn't inherently contribute to social decay while unhealthy relationships, homes and families do."
** Abstract: Women in Trinidad have made enormous gains during the last twenty years in relation to equality in education, employment and equal pay. Nevertheless, there has been a backlash which is experienced by all women regardless of class, ethnicity, professional standing, or position. It is as if the society (read male-dominated patriarchy) allows women freedom on the one hand, but ensures that there are still mechanisms for control. My hypothesis is that violence, the ultimate and most fundamental form of control over a person, is the mechanism which is used to keep women from 'getting outta hand' in Trinidad. The lyrics of some calypsos give us a revealing picture of attitudes to changing gender relations, and in particular to violence towards women. Books/Articles on Caribbean Feminism:
Reflections on Women's Movements in Trinidad: Calypsos, Changes and Sexual Violence [Feminist Review, No. 38 (Summer, 1991), pp. 33-47] by Patricia Mohammed [JSTOR]

Diversity, Difference, and Caribbean Feminism by Rhoda Reddock

Gendered Realities: Essays in Caribbean Feminist Thought Edited by Patricia Mohammad

Daughters of Caliban: Caribbean Women in the Twentieth Century Edited by Consuelo Lopez Springfield
**Abstract: This attempt to develop an indigenous reading of feminism as both activism and discourse in the Caribbean is informed by my own preoccupation with the limits of contemporary postmodern feminist theorizing in terms of its accessibility, as well as application to understanding the specificity of a region. I, for instance, cannot speak for or in the manner of a white middle-class academic in Britain, or a black North American feminist, as much as we share similarities which go beyond the society, and which are fuelled by our commitment to gender equality. At the same time, our conversations are intersecting as a greater clarity of thought emerges in relation and perhaps in reaction to the other. Ideas of difference and the epistemological standpoint of 'Third World' women have been dealt with admirably by many feminist writers such as Chandra Mohanty, Avtah Brah and Uma Narayan. In this article I draw on the ideas emerging in contemporary western feminist debates pertaining to sexual difference and equality and continue my search for a Caribbean feminist voice which defines feminism and feminist theory in the region, not as a linear narrative but one which has continually intersected with the politics of identity in the region. Feminist Blogs & More: An Open Letter to Caribbean Men from Caribbean Women Creative Commes
Towards Indigenous Feminist Theorizing in the Caribbean by Patricia Mohammed

** Noted Blog Posts from Creative Commes: The Carnival Body, Kaiso Feminisms, Feminist Kaiso and Soca Playlist

The-Bad-Dominicana [Tumblr Page]
Caribbean Review of Gender Studies Red for Gender
WomanSpeak : A Journal of Writing and Art by Caribbean Women

**Noted Blog Posts from Red for Gender: Top 10 Sexist and Hetereosexist Moments in Caribbean History, Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card for Caribbean Rapists.

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Caribbean Women's Movements and Organizations

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This is a resources page dedicated to Caribbean Feminism, historical Women's Movements and existing Feminist and Women's Organizations in the Caribbean. Existing Women's Organizations: The Women Speak Project - "The WomenSpeak Project's Mission is to provide a forum for women to tell their stories of discrimination and the ways it has affected them."

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Date: November 21st 2017
'Visual surprise is natural in the Caribbean. It comes with the landscape, and faced with its beauty, the sigh of History dissolves. -Derek Walcott

Caribbean Civilisation has widened both my perception and understanding of the Caribbean. At the beginning of the semester the online plenary introduced a new method of learning to the table, these plenaries together with the face to face tutorials and my exceptional tutor was indeed an amazing experience. What was not grasped in the plenary was indeed explored and observed in each tutorial that followed. Throughout the semester we divulged into the History of the Caribbean, this deemed most appealing and interesting to me, subjects such as revisionism, which objective was to understand the past by using factual artefacts, was truly an eye opener. My previous knowledge on the history of the Caribbean was reconstructed into the reality that prehistory does not exist, and the history of the Caribbean was written from a Eurocentric point of view.

On the note of a Eurocentric point of view, throughout the semester Caribbean Civilisation aided in breaking many misconceptions of the Caribbean, it eradicated many Eurocentric views on my behalf. What stood out most for me through this course was a documentary I was shown entitled ‘Fire in Babylon’. This documentary was a summary of the history of West Indian Cricket in the Caribbean, initially West Indian cricket was of no substantial importance to me considering I had not fully grasped the past behind it. In the documentary, played during a Caribbean Civilisation tutorial, both the history and modern day West Indian cricket was explored, from being subjected to racial remarks when they played with teams like Australia on their home land, to rising from the dusk and defeating the creators of the game ‘England’ the West Indian cricket team proved themselves worthy but were however, still the least paid team in the confederation even though they were performing much better than other teams. The passion of Caribbean people for West Indian cricket then occurred to me, I finally understood why the sport of cricket was so important to persons in the Caribbean. West Indian cricket was not just a sport, but it was a way of overcoming slavery.

Caribbean Civilization has truly been a course with many twist and turns, from discovering new aspect of the land I live in to eradicating misconceptions of my own.

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Cricket's Greatest team in history: Fire in Babylon 1.

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Greatest cricket team of all times. Record-breaking West Indies cricket team of the 1970s and 1980s. Featuring stock footage and interviews with several former players and officials, including Colin Croft, Deryck Murray, Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Michael Holding, Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and Andy Roberts.

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This portfolio  critically assess my knowledge and discernment of FOUN 1101 Caribbean Civilisation through a diverse number of objectives that explore both the contemporary and pre-modern Caribbean society. From A critical analysis of a documentation entitled 'The Danger of a Single Story' that explores Caribbean history , to an in-depth view of Feminism and its origin in the Caribbean, to the Movement of people with the Caribbean through CARICOM and finally my personal reflection on Foun 1101 . This portfolio divulges into the  understanding of particular cultures, social issues together with political and economic themes that have shaped and are presently at
the forefront of this modern day society.

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Critical Analysis On 'The Danger of a Single Story' 

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Critical Analysis On 'The Danger of a Single Story' 

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Date: September 21st 2017.
"The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story the only story"- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

‘The danger of a single story’ by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, explores the oppression of cultural identity told by just a single story. This Author highlights the importance of a single story, that to create a single story is to show people as one thing repeatedly and that is what they become. She entails her experience as a child where she developed a single story of what books are, as a kid only British books were made available to her and growing up she grasped the misunderstanding that people like her, African, Black, people could not exist in literature.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie accentuated the relationship between Single story and power, she implied a principle of ‘nkali’ to be greater than another, that power is the ability not only to tell a story about a person but to make it the definitive story of that person. A single story of the Caribbean is observed through two lenses, that of the cotemporary and colonial world. The contemporary single story of the Caribbean, comprises of an unrealistic view that the Caribbean is simply sparkling blue beaches, coconut trees and partying, when people think of the word Caribbean the abbreviation ‘Sand, Sea and Sun’ comes to mind. Through media and even literature, a single story of the Caribbean and its people was created.

In greater depth we observe the Single story of the Caribbean through the Historical/Colonial Lens, it was written that in 1492, Christopher Columbus had discovered the Caribbean, however, upon arrival there were other groups of people. History as we know it was written primarily from a Eurocentric standpoint, it was told according to the perception of these men and how a situation was regarded in their eyes, therefore, the history of the Caribbean can be identified as a single story as it was told from the European point of view, hence, we see the link between cultural and economic power and the conception of a single story.

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Please [contact us](https://www.ted.com/contact) and let us know what happened.

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Date: November 3rd 2017

An important aspect of The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is its Free movement initiative within the Caribbean. The CARICOM Is a grouping of   twenty countries comprising of fifteen Member States and five Associate Members. The CARICOM consist of a variation of racial groups with a community that is multi-lingual. CARICOM rests on four key pillars, security, economic integration human and social development and foreign policy coordination.

The History of Free movement of skills initiative initially began in 1989 at the Grand Anse Declaration, basically, free movement of skills involves the right to seek out employment in any Member State of the CARICOM and hence an individual does not require work permits to stay within a country. From the Free movement initiative, The CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) was born. The CSME is a procedure among the CARICOM Member States for the conception of a single enlarged economic space through the removal of work restrictions consequentially ending  in the free movement of goods, assets , and skill and is associated with the ability of any CARICOM National to establish businesses in any CARICOM Member state.  The CSME's purpose is to remove differences and all restrictions to trade among CARICOM countries, and in so doing encourage the perception of the Caribbean as a common space and a harmonised investment area.

In discussing the free movement, the importance of the free movement as a significant aspect of any single market economy resulted in the development of the CSME. In reviewing the free movement, it is necessary to note Article 45 of the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas which states that:  "Member States commit themselves to the goal of the free movement of their nationals within the Community". Furthermore, in Article II, Respect for Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms, of the Charter of Civil Society, the following is included as one of the fundamental humans’ rights and freedoms: "Freedom of movement within the Caribbean Community, subject to such exceptions and qualifications as may be authorised by national law and which are reasonably justifiable in a free and democratic society”. Secretariat, CARICOM. Skill- Free Movement in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) —Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, caricom.org/skill-free-movement-in-the-caricom-single-market-and-economy-csme/.

REFERENCES
Secretariat, CARICOM. Skill- Free Movement in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) —Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, caricom.org/skill-free-movement-in-the-caricom-single-market-and-economy-csme/.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2008/04/printable/080409_sanders_march2.shtml

Immigration Division Ministry of National Security. CSME, www.immigration.gov.tt/Services/CSME.aspx.

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Prime Minister Holness speaking at the IMF Forum yesterday

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said that the threat that climate change poses to Caribbean countries should spur regional leaders to work towards greater cooperation among states across the region.

Speaking yesterday at the sixth High Level Caribbean Forum, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, Holness said that there was a tendency for regional states to focus on the free movement of goods without making a connection with the free movement of labour.

"It becomes a particular concern when viewed against the backdrop of natural disasters. Can you imagine a sustained fallout in our sister islands? How will those economies recover if there is not a mechanism to allow the free movement of labour, even temporarily, to help in the recovery and relief efforts?" Holness questioned.

He said that after the recent impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, many students from some countries in the Eastern Caribbean had to complete their studies in sister Caribbean territories that had not been affected.

"It is this capacity for our respective economies and countries to open our societies, open our schools, that will give us, collectively, the ability to respond to disasters and crises," he added.

Read More: Jamaica Gleaner

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Free Movement Of Labour - Holness urges greater cooperation within CARICOM

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Prime Minister Holness speaking at the IMF Forum yesterday Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said that the threat that climate change poses to Caribbean countries should spur regional leaders to work towards greater cooperation among states across the region.