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29th March 2017
Jason Jones, an LGBT activist is suing the government over laws that criminalise homosexuals. Upon talking to Mr.Jones, he explained a need for the laws to be changed as they make people subject to discrimination and victims of violence based on their sexuality.   Like many laws in Trinidad and Tobago it is based upon the Catholic beliefs that came with the Spaniards when they rediscovered the Caribbean. Religion has had a heavy influence on the values and morals of the people and it dictates what is socially acceptable. However due to secularisation, more members of the public are identifying as, or supporters of LGBTs. One counter argument against the removal of the law is the fact that it is not actively enforced so it is of little consequence, nevertheless it still causes persons to live a half life because of fear of repercussions under the law. Criminalising persons based on their sexuality should not be legal, but Trinidad and Tobago and, to a further extent, the Caribbean have a long way to go before this is socially accepted. Due to the hyper masculine culture we havewhich currently promotes one man with many women, fathering many children or being the strong, dominant alpha male, homosexuality is rejected as these men are seen as an aberration -weak, soft and having female characteristics.

http://www.looptt.com/content/lgbqti-community-launches-safety-campaign-0
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2017-02-24/gay-activist-challenges-tt%E2%80%99s-homophobic-laws

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My Caribbean Civilisation portfolio is a reflection of some topics that strike a deep interest within me. Gender and sexuality is a very prevalent theme that I have chosen to focus on as I believe these matters are of utmost importance. I have also interwoven themes of religion, colonialism and economics as no one issue deals with just one facet of life. These topics all cover current issues within the Caribbean environment.

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19th April
Within the Caribbean, the issue of food security is extremely important. Food security refers to the availability, sustainability and economic/physical access to food that persons have.
There is an exceedingly high dependence on foreign countries to supply basic food items such as rice, flour, fruit, vegetables and meat, which creates an exorbitant import bill. The topic of dependency is not a new one as Caribbean countries have always depended on imports of finished products from  more developed nations. A host of factors affect food security, for example,high exchange ratesand low local and regional food production. The colonial mindset of ''foreign is better'' has been engrained into our very beings and caused persons toperceive local products to be inferior to imported ones, which creates a higher demand for externally sourced goods.
However, in order to curb this problem we must look within our countries to provide solutions. The agricultural sector must be developed and supported by the state(s) in order for more persons to engage in farming as it is seen as a high risk business with little payoff for very intensive work.

http://www.caribbean360.com/business/us-currency-shortage-hurting-pricesmarts-trinidad-operations

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Life in Leggings TT : Women's March and Rally - 

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Life in Leggings TT : Women's March and Rally - 

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14th March,2017

In commemoration of International Woman's Day, on March 11th, many people gathered to march against issues plaguing women and other disadvantaged groups within society. Recently, there has been a surge of gender based violence.This is nothing new,however, as women have been targets of violence as far back as the time of the plantation society. Domestic violence is often treated by authorities and society at large as a husband and wife issue that should be treated privately.Unfortunately for women help often arrives too late before irreversible damage is inflicted. Additionally, women are often blamed for their misfortunes, this victim blaming allows the perpetrators to be pardoned while the victim is criticised for the actions of another. This way of thinking was clearly seen when an authority figure, the now former mayor of Port-of-Spain, Mr Raymond Tim Kee, commented on the murder of Japanese national Asami Nagakiya after her body was found on Ash Wednesday morning still wearing her masquerader's costume from the day before. He insinuated that it was lewd and vulgar behaviour that led to the crime against Nagakiya. His remarks help to perpetuate rape culture that seeks to hold women responsible for the tragedies that befall them by  linking the way one is dressed or behaves to the likelihood of abuse. This raises questions of sexism in terms of how boys and girls are socialised. Instead of telling girls how they should be dressed, boys should be told not to rape. The sense of male entitlement that some men possess often makes them aggressive or violent when they are rejected and they use these measures to regain their sense of power.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/12/outrage-in-trinidad-after-mayor-blames-carnival-killing-on-dancers-lewd-behavior/

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5th April
Within Trinidad and Tobago, and the wider Caribbean religion has always been a powerful influence. This influence can be seen in several laws within Trinidad that condone child marriage. Even though in May 2015 the legal age for sexual consent was changed from 16 to 18 there are still laws that allow children to be married as young as 12 years old. This can be seen as contradictory as the age was changed in order to give more protection to minors. The Marriage Acts that permit child marriage go against the rights of a child that state they should be ''treated in a manner, and kept in conditions, that take account of the child's age''. There is also a disparity in the demographics of children being married. Studies show that 3,478 child marriages were recorded in the last 20 years with only 74 being males under the age of 18. There is also a discrepancy within the acts where girls’ ages are typically lower than boys. The Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act sets the minimum age of marriage at 12 for girls and 16 for boys; the Hindu Marriage Act sets the age at 14 for girls and 18 for boys; the Orisa Marriage Act sets the age at 16 for girls and 18 for boys. This stems back to old patriarchal thinking that women are property and commodity that can be traded and exchanged. Children, and girls especially, need to be protected against these laws as they create gateways for rape, abuse and teenage pregnancy as more often than not they are married (and often forced into marriage) to men who are decades older than they are. The Inter Religious Organisation, which is of the belief that the state should not interfere with religious beliefs, is protecting these systems. Nevertheless, a bill is currently being debated by members of parliament to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 years old.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20170111/news/82163404-child-brides-in-last-two-decades8217

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This course has been eye opening for me and has truly widened my mind and changed my perspective on how I approach certain matters. It has educated me to the truths of revisionism as I too had fallen victim to the myth of prehistory which should in fact be preliterate as, as long as there are people there is history.
The first assignment really allowed me to go and explore and become familiar with the rich past of my home. It especially permitted me to dispel myths and untruths to my friends and family but also to myself, as a lot of recorded history is Eurocentric and biased. The first few units sparked that revolutionary fire within me to fight against inequalities and demand justice for wrongs that have been committed. Learning about the mistreatment of whole generations and races of people have given me more insight to racism that persists today and many of the mentalities that were derived from colonialism that have trickled down and grown roots deep within our consciousness. I was elated upon seeing that gender and sexuality were topics of discussion, as unfortunately they are often not dealt with even though it affects every single individual and composes of our identity.
My only disappointment was that the physical Caribbean was not given more attention as I believe a better understanding of our natural environment will lead to more progress as a people especially as many of our beloved Caribbean islands will all feel and are feeling the brunt of effects coming out of climate change and global warming