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The process of going through this course has been series of ups and downs. This is  due to the many times motivation to keep up may have been lost or with the hassles of university life pushing this course on the sidelines often became a habit. However the content of the course truly made the largest difference. As a Caribbean born individual the idea of learning more about myself, my peers and where we come from, has always been intriguing.

Though a burning interest in Caribbean society has always been present my interest in this course was not present from the initial registration. My preconceptions upon beginning this Caribbean Civilization course were completely based on the passing comments of peers who were already exposed to it. However upon going through the course it seemed that almost if not all these predisposed opinion of the course were in fact wrong. It proved not to be a ‘history course’, or ‘common sense’ as the attempts to expose the student to the real Caribbean in terms of its civilization, culture and identity. One concept which truly had an impact on my perceptions of this course was that of a Caribbean identity. Being Trinidadian my modern knowledge of other Caribbean territories was limited to popular news, this has been drastically changed by my participation in this course. Also having previous experience in doing history at the CAPE level it lent to my appreciation for the topics covered throughout the course. Specifically, those which showed a link between Caribbean history and our socio-cultural development up to today. The revisionist nature of the course enabled the correction of a few of the erroneous points of information I thought to have been fact. This i can say is true for many of my classmates as some information was new to us, Whilst other information veered the direction of our knowledge completely. This paired with my aforementioned profound interest in the concept of Caribbean identity enabled me to further delve into my perception of Caribbean identity through gained knowledge.

The delivery of the course however I struggled with a great deal. Though the online plenaries aimed to foster a sense of regionalism it more so created a disconnection for me personally with what the lecturer may have been communicating. It also caused me to often miss lecture times and I found it somewhat tedious to listen to recordings of a lecture I can no longer participate in. I my opinion standard face to face lectures may have been more effective in propelling my learning experience. Tutorials however were inviting in that it created a space for true discussion and clarification with Mr. Murray and my colleagues.

In retrospect the fact that this course has been made a foundation course is admirable as often we only think we know what is right ourselves. Many pieces of information about ourselves, our culture and how it was developed has only come from popular media and vaguely valid sources. The idea that we were able to learn more about ourselves through this course is, to me, incredible as often progress and development is accompanied by knowledge of the past.

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The course has outlined the  rich culture of the Caribbean produced a by a unique blend of other various cultures brought together in one geographic area during European colonial rule. The dealing with cultural expression within the Caribbean has had a striking impact upon my personal reflections of the course specifically so Caribbean music, dance and art. Whilst 'Caribbean culture' can be used to address the region as one the variations present within each territory create a remarkable irreplicable mark of identity. This is vastly important as the concept of identity in the Caribbean has been an ongoing issue since our independence. Questions repeatedly raised have been those of if a single Caribbean identity does exist or if the unique identities of every territory are unable to be lumped into a single 'Caribbean identity'. Therefore this portfolio attempts to delve into that concept of Caribbean identity and prove that upon the further deserved inspection of Caribbean culture it is clear to see that our identities are formed separately however w are integrated by the similar struggles of finding this 'Caribbean identity.' Examples of the aforementioned identity markers can be the genres of music produced, in this portfolio the focus will placed on the melodic calypso music from Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the inspiring reggae music that has played an instrumental role in creating a global footprint for Jamaica. The dances in the islands show some of the truest expressions of identity, whilst it may have been impossible to include every island's dance and dance culture the ringing impressions that of Trinidad and Tobago has had on the wide world coupled with the lack of understanding and appreciation there really is for the art demanded a presence in this portfolio. Lastly as we speak of art in the Caribbean whilst visual art may be the first to permeate the thought the literary art truly captures the spirit and history of the Caribbean, its people and the shared struggles we have faced.

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Do We Really Know Ourselves : Diving into Caribbean Culture and Identity

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Do We Really Know Ourselves : Diving into Caribbean Culture and Identity

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Aileen Ozay, Aileen. The Multifaceted Development of Jamaican Identity: Both Religious and Linguistic In Nature. N.p.: n.p., n.d.

"Babylon." Oxford Reference. N.p., 17 Mar. 2017. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

Brown, Deon. "Has Reggae Lost Its Soul?" The Jamaica Gleaner. The Gleaner Company Ltd, 10 Mar. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

"Chalkdust is 2017 Calypso Monarch." Daily Express. Caribbean Communications Network , 27 Feb. 2017. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

"Jamaican Reggae." ATH 175 Peoples of the World. Miami University Press, 2004. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

Justus, Joyce Bennett. Language and national integration: the Jamaican case. N.p.: U of Pittsburgh- Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, 1958. Print.

Lovelace, Earl, and Marjorie Thorpe. The wine of astonishment. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, 2014. Print.

Marshall, Paule. Brown girl, brownstones. Mansfield Centre, CT: Martino Publishing, 2014. Print.

McWatt, Mark A., and Hazel Simmons-McDonald. A world of poetry for CSEC. Essex: Heineman, 2005. Print.

Senior, Olive. Gardening in the tropics. Place of publication not identified: Insomniac Press, 2005. Print.

"The Reggae identity and sub-culture." The Sun. The Sun Publishing Ltd, Sept. & oct. 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

Xidemia, Agile Telecom Ltd. and. "Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt :." Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt :. Daily News Ltd, 16 July 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

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Excerpt from Alborosie - Police Polizia

speaking about victimization of the rastaman

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Another form of Caribbean identity is found in dance. Dance in Trinidad and Tobago is an art form in which creolization truly comes alive. The twists and variations on dances such as traditional Indian, African and Chinese dances produce a style unique to Trinidad and Tobago. All of these variations of dance have been brought through the shifting of labour systems under colonial rule. The emergence of the limbo is a mark of Trinbago's unique influence on the wider world. Julia Edwards truly trademarked the limbo dance and claimed titles such as 'The Limbo Queen' and 'The First Lady of Limbo'. Whilst dance is one of our purest forms of cultural expression, it is clear that it can be propelled further into society and used as a vehicle for expression and identification in Trinidad and Tobago. Often there may be worries and concern for the declining influence of dance in the lives of our people However, steps are being made to improve this nationwide as explained by Ms Williams.

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Julia Edwards

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Earlyn Williams Performing the Flaming Limbo With the Julia Edwards Dance Company

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Members of the Julia Edwards Dance Company performing the Human Limbo

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https://www.dropbox.com/s/y5edl8eusj7p7yi/Video%20Apr%2011%2C%202%2022%2053%20PM.mov?dl=0

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Many of the literary pieces produced by Caribbean writers, novelists and poets are, like the music, centered around issues faced by members of Caribbean society. This is where Caribbean identity is portrayed as one. Popular central themes in Caribbean literature are centered around the struggle with finding identity as a Caribbean person. Some literary works use this theme in context of historical events throughout the Caribbean, such as Earl Lovelace's 'The Wine of Astonishment' (figure4.1) which illustrates the oppression and struggle of the Baptist community in Trinidad around the time of the Prohibition Ordinance. Other writers such as Paule Marshall(figure 4.2) have used literature to address those, like them, of the Caribbean diaspora.  Persons of the diaspora struggle with identity formation. These writers often take their stories and poems back to a time where it can be clearly illustrated the effects processes such as colonialism and slavery would have had on the formation of Caribbean identity. Caribbean literature is emphasized in the education systems throughout the Caribbean today. It is taught alongside American and British literature in schools, it can be assessed at the secondary and even tertiary levels today. This is important as prior to the granting of independence to Caribbean nations under a mostly British elitist education system the teaching of Caribbean literature was unheard of. The incorporation of this into modern Caribbean education allows the student to be grounded further in their unique Caribbean identity by examining identity formation of other Caribbean people. Even if the stories may be fictional the experience and messages are quite real. Even I can attest to this inclusion of Caribbean literature being relatable and encouraging to both my peers and myself. (The aforementioned texts are incorporated into CSEC and CAPE syllabi.)

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Caribbean Dance: Dance in Trinidad and Tobago (April 11th 2017

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Figure 1.1 Mighty Sparrow performing in a claypso tent

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Newsday newspaper article on Calypso and history

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Caribbean Art: Literature (April 11th 2017)

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Reggae music is indigenous to Jamaica arising on a large scale in the 1960s and pioneered by voices of the people such as Bob Marley (figure 2.1)  and Jimmy Cliff. Reggae has been said to be an evolution of contemporary ska music. The genre has been a pillar in the formation of Jamaican identity and crafting to a large extent Jamaican social discourse. Reggae has also acted as a window into Jamaican culture and lifestyle for the wider world. The roots of reggae music are planted long before the 1960s in the eras of colonialism and slavery in Jamaica. Dealing with racial and social issues dealt with by their people throughout history. Justus (46) presents Nettleford’s description of reggae music as an expression of the beliefs persons often hold which tend to “inform the trinity of identity, race and protest.”(visually represented in figure 2.2) With the passage of time it has been argued that reggae music has lost its foundation and true message as seen in figure 2.3. Some artists such as Jamar McNaughton or Chronixx and Oje Ken Ollivierre also known as Protoje can be seen attempting to hold on to this foundation in recent times in light of the prioritization of entertainment value over message in modern reggae music. One artiste that has recently (2017) continued releasing songs that speak on the oppression of the rastafarian man is Alborosie. (see figure 2.4)  Whilst many may think reggae has been on a decline in its message the efforts of such musicians to keep the true foundation of reggae alive is commendable.

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Article by Deon Brown Entitled

"Has Reggae Lost Its Soul?"

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Caribbean Music: Calypso (April 1st 2017)

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Caribbean Music: Reggae (April 8th 2017)

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Calypso music is an African Trinidadian blend of music. Originating in the 20th century calypso has been somewhat of an oral newscast to the masses of Trinidad and Tobago as its lyrics were mainly occupied with relevant social issues and political commentary of its time.(see figure 1.1)  The Calypso King competition began in 1939 and evolved into the Calypso Monarch Competition with the victory of Calypso Rose in 1978. In recent times it can be said that the true virtue and foundation of calypso music has not changed. The genre still revolves largely around social issues. An analysis of the 2017 Calypso monarch Dr. Hollis Liverpool, better known as Chalkdust, uncovers the issue with and opposition to the legal ability of girls as young as 12 years old to be married off to men of any age, this being so under the Hindu marriage act in Trinidad and Tobago. In the latter half of 2016 this became widespread knowledge to the public and major uproars were heard in opposition, and some cases defence, of the law. Naturally the subject permeated the calypso genre and was addressed by Dr. Liverpool in his monarch winning calypso. The tagline of the song being “75 can’t go into 14.” (see figure 1.2) This champion of calypso music proves that the foundation of the genre remains in tact as can be seen if the 2017 Monarch's lyrics are compared to that of the first calypso Monarch's Growling Tiger, or Neville Marcano. Marcano's calypso was entitles "The Labour Situation" which addressed civil rights issues under the umbrella of British colonialism. Because of this focus on colonial issues a journey throughout calypso music can be deemed a lesson in history . This has been attempted by The National Academy for the Performing Arts. (see figure 1.3)

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Figure 1.2 Guardian Newspaper article entitled:

Chalkdust: 75 can’t go into 14