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This portfolio reflects my understanding and learning about the Caribbean and all that comes with it. Studying the course Caribbean Civilization my interest has been peaked and my knowledge enlightened. I have learned to appreciate my past more and to look at it from other perspectives. Each reflection represents an objective and is therefore structured accordingly. The first if which is commentary on the video “The danger Of A Single Story”, secondly  The Diversity in the Caribbean, thirdly the Immigration Between Haiti and Dominican Republic and lastly is my self-evaluation of what I have learned during the course.

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Danger Of A Single Story - November 2nd, 2017

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Danger Of A Single Story - November 2nd, 2017

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In 2009 a Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie shared stories about her life though a TED talk entitled “The danger of a single story”. It illustrates the human tendency to interpret the lives of others based of what she calls single stories. Single stories can include stereotypes and ideologies “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but they are incomplete. The make one story becomes the only story.” She recounts speaking to an American student who, after reading her novel which centered on an abusive male protagonist, concluded that Nigerian men were abusive. She in turned responded to his comment saying that she had just finished reading American Psycho and calls it a shame that “all young American men are serial killers.” The point I believe she was making is that the danger of a single story prevents people form authentically connecting with people as individuals.

This “single story” idea shared by this author can be seen in the Bahamas where culture is discussed in some arenas. An example of this is Junkanoo, it’s a basic assumption that Junkanoo is all the culture Bahamians have and that they are lacking in culture. There was even an incent on a radio show on Guardian Radio (Bahamas) Friday 17th November, 2017 which the host started talking about their need to improve the culture for tourist. The single story here is: “tourism in culture and everything must revolver around culture.” They seem to forget the other events that offer culture such as Island House Film Festival, Shakespeare in Paradise, International Cultural Festival, the Bahamas International Film Festival and many others.

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Diversity In The Caribbean - 8th November, 2017

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Diversity In The Caribbean - 8th November, 2017

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The diversity in the Caribbean region comes in the form of its geography, its people, its governments, its economy and its culture. One can see the lasting impact colonization has had and how the different experiences for each island had been. Colonialism, mercantilism, and the rise of the slave trade created a culturally diverse population that persists to this day on many of the islands
There is a very noticeable mix of African, Europeans and Native cultures that create the tapestry in Caribbean life. Cultural diversity refers to the variety of ethnic groups, such as Indians, Africans, Chinese and Europeans that exist within the Caribbean society and the particular ways of life manifested by each group.

In the Caribbean there is a rich mixture of culture, ethnic, cuisine, religion, religious festivals and holidays. One example of this rich mixture can be seen in the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Every colonial power which passed through Trinidad left a piece of their “identity” thus leaving the notion that there is no single Caribbean identity. The enslaved Africans and indentured East Indians as well as the Chinese who remained and inhabited the island made up a vast majority post- colonial era. The evidence of these different groups of people can be showcased by the different holidays and festivals in Trinidad such as, Divali, Eid al-Fitr Shouter Baptiste, Carnival and Christmas. The most popular being Carnival, which can be agreed upon that it brings together people of diverse backgrounds to participate in a single festival. Religion is also an import example of diversity in the Caribbean. Religion groups present in the Caribbean are Christians, Hindus and Muslims.
Below is a picture which portrays how although Trinidad and Tobago is a multicultural island, the people come together to celebrate festivities.

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This video was used to help me in my understanding of the Haitian and Dominican Immigration

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Haiti and Dominican Republic meet to discuss immigration issue

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Officials from Haiti and Diminican Republic met Tuesday in an effort to resolve mounting tension between the Caribbean neighbors that was reflected in a recent court ruling that threatens to strip the citizenship of people of Haitian descent. teleSUR http://multimedia.telesurtv.net/web/telesur/#!en/video/haiti-and-dominican-republic-meet-to-discuss-immigration-issue

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Immigration Between Haiti and Dominican Republic - 27th November, 2017

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Immigration Between Haiti and Dominican Republic - 27th November, 2017

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“There is an artificial line that splits the island of Hispaniola in two. On one side is Haiti and the other is the Dominican Republic.” – Abby Phillip

There was a time when the split between two counties was drawn with blood, the 1927 Parsley Massacre is widely regarded as a turning point in Haitian-Dominican relations. The Parsley Massacre was directed by the ruthless Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. The soldiers rounded up thousands of people along the Dominican Republic’s borderland and demanded that they said the would “perejil” and those who failed to mimic the Spanish pronunciation were murdered. Now, in recent days Dominicans of Haitian decent is set to faced deportation. It started in 2013 when a Dominican Constitutional Court stripped thousands of Haitian immigrants and their descendants of their Dominican citizenship.

In an article entitled “The Origins of Anti-Haitian Sentiment In The Dominican Republic” written by Amelia Hintzen (07/14/2015) she states that “On Wednesday June 17, the deadline for Haitian immigrants and people of Haitian descent to file paperwork with the Dominican government proving their legal right to reside in the country expired. This impacts recent immigrants without documentation as well as Dominicans who cannot prove they were born in the Dominican Republic and that their parents were legal residents. Ominously, the Department of Immigration has reportedly been training officers to carry out deportations, and many Dominican-Haitians are fearful of being forced to leave the only country they know.”

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The Course Caribbean Civilization provided a much needed “reality check” in my knowledge of the Caribbean. Growing up in school I learned that Christopher Columbus was a brave hero who “discovered” the New World. However, during the proceedings of this course, I was made aware of how I failed to recognize the ensuing decimation of the indigenous population. My appreciation of the past grew and as well as my knowledge. An example of this is, when to topic of sport was being thought. It never occurred to me that sport, particularly cricket, was a means of control, I believed it to be an enjoyable pass time where persons came together to have fun. Caribbean Civilization also thought me a better concept of the persons I come into contact with on a daily basis and also gave me a better understanding in my identity. It also shows how the Caribbean people were affected by the past and how the past still affects some today.

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- Bennet, I. B. The Nassua Guardian. https://thenassauguardian.com/2017/11/25/dangerous-single-story/ (accessed November 1, 2017).

- Phillip, A. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/06/16/the-bloody-origins-of-the-dominican-republics-ethnic-cleansing-of-haitians/?utm_term=.df2b7f23f2e5 (accessed November 6, 2017).

https://www.bahamaslocal.com/files/shakespare-in-paradise2017.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OFlqd4eVni4/WOPA2tvnE8I/AAAAAAAAA7U/3v-UUleJxb8anC6Gwo8zMdgRMYvoRzcKQCLcB/s1600/IMG_4697.jpg

http://fpif.org/really-happening-dominican-republic-deporting-haitian-residents/

https://genocidememorialproject.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/haitians_wide-02da11aa44de1ea64b2e71289d733caaafd523ac-s4.jpg