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This portfolio is a reflection of my understanding and impending obtained through participating in this course, the importance of knowing the history of the geographical area in which my ancestors and I was born. It shall provide evidence of my  thinking and understanding of the four objectives that are to be undertaken in my portfolio

While I did in fact enjoy the course. I found it a bit challenging to listen to the plenary online. At time my internet signal would drop and I would be locked out of the secession. But nevertheless I enjoyed the fact that I could have  presented my views, opinions and question throughout the plenary session as the lecturers try to create an atmosphere that anyone can present their views and opinions without subject to ridicule or embarrassment and I believe that is crucial.

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Date: 4th of october
TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie grow up in Eastern Nigeria, and is today one of the most powerful  voices in African literature. As a child Adichie read British and American children’s books and wrote the stories she was reading with characters that were white, played in the snow, ate apples and drank ginger beer. This demonstrates vulnerability we face of a story demonstrating Eurocentrism- viewing their culture as superior. However her perception changed when she discovered African books realizing that dark skinned girls exist in literature.

She left Nigeria to study in United States at nineteen. Her American roommate pitied her because of her perception that African was not similar to her. If Adichie didn’t grow up in Nigeria she would have thought of Africa as her roommate with beautiful landscapes, incomprehensible people fighting senseless wars and dying from aids and poverty, waiting to be saved by a white foreigner.  The single story of Africa came from literature reinforcing the myth of history,reinforcing white supremacy. John sailed to Africa and he quote “beast with no houses” he referred to the Africans and placed negativity on dark people who he said were half devil/ half child, placing racial stigmas on them.

Adichie stated it is impossible to talk about the single story, without talk about power or Nkail-to be greater than another. Power is not just the ability to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story of that person. The single story robes human dignity and gives equality of humanity difficult, emphasizes on how we are different than similar which can still be playing out today. History as we know it was written from a Ethnocentric and androcentric standpoint giving a single story and blinds us from the truth.

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

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Date: 21st of November

Enslavement ended in 1838 and the church was given the responsibility to educate. Sunday schools were the earliest introduced level of education for Caribbean population intended to provide a morality and education rooted in Christianity. The few educational institutions that existed in the region were run by religious institutions and catered to a minority of privileged whites who were the sons and daughters of the plantocracy and as time progress the privileged mulatto population got an opportunity to gain an education.

Education was a potent force for change and mobility within the colonial society. Before emancipation education did not exist because it would have competed with time spent away from the plantation. West African-descended families sought to move beyond the confines of plantation agriculture and now officially educate themselves. They did this by enrolling their children in the few available church-run schools while the adults enrolled themselves in adult education facilities run by missionaries in the evenings.

Education was seen more important and necessary for boys than girls. However girls were accommodated in schools. Education was now being extended to the masses, the aim  was to produce a docile persons to conform to the  status quo The schools focused on the basic skills of literacy and civic order. Some variation based on sex was instituted as boys would be exposed also to arithmetic and woodwork while girls were taught needlework.

All citizens of Trinidad and Tobago pursuing tertiary education in approved local and regional institutions can benefit from the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (GATE) program, established in September 2004 and revised in January 2006. Undergraduate students receive free tuition and postgraduate students can access grants to cover up to a maximum of 50% of their tuition fees. There is a three-year commitment to the country at the end of the program.

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Date: 25th November
CARICOM was established on the 4th July 1973 by the Treaty of Chaguramas. CARICOM is a grouping of twenty contries comprising pf fifteen memeder states and five Associated Members.

The aim is encouraging economic integration of member’s sates, security, human and social development and coordinating the foreign policies of member’s states especially in regard to trade.

CARICOM superseded the 1965–1972 Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) organized to provide a continued economic linkage between the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean after the dissolution of the West Indies Federation, which lasted from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962.

CARICOM has no permanent central authority to make decisions. It is operated through a number of bodies called organs, institutions and associated institutions. The conference of CARICOM Heads of government is the highest authority, making policies and decisions on all matters and gives instructions to all bodies except the associate institution. The CARICOM council of ministers is the second highest authority. It is made up of ministers responsible for CARICOM affairs and had the responsibility for matters with the Common Market.

However CARICOM faces challenges towards its success.

·        Conflict between national and region loyalties.

·        Member countries have tended to pursue different strategies for political and economic development.

·         Members have more resources than others.

·        Poor dissemination of information and slow implementation and ratification.

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At the beginning of the course i was a bit confused since this course was online. However i managed to pull through despite the negative stereotypes placed on it. Im sure most of the students would have experienced the problems with regards to problems accessing the plenary and in some cases not being able to understand some of the things that was said during the online lecture.

The information gained from this course opened my mind and made me appreciate history a lot more. I was amazed but the information and the ordeal my ancestors faced because of slavery and the myths that we once was convinced to believe. Previously i was taught that pre history did not exist and this was an eye opener for me because history was written from an Eurocentric point of view.

Another aspect that stood out to me was the documentary " Fire in Babylon". Fire In Babylon is the breathtaking story of how the West Indies triumphed over its colonial masters through the achievements of one of the most gifted teams in sporting history. In a turbulent era of apartheid in South Africa; race riots in England and civil unrest in the Caribbean, the West Indian cricketers, led by the enigmatic Viv Richards, struck a defiant blow at the forces of white prejudice worldwide. Their undisputed skill, combined with a fearless spirit, allowed them to dominate the genteel game at the highest level, replaying it on their own terms. I now understood why sports in the Caribbean is so important especially cricket as it was a way of overcoming slavery.

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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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1. Uneven Development: Listening to the 'South', Listening to Vancouver. (n.d.). https://blogs.ubc.ca/unevendevelopment/2009/11/06/chimamanda-adichie-the-danger-of-a-single-story
2.Deighton Gooden, Teacher at Vere Technical High School Follow. (2009, December 17). Caricom Notes. https://www.slideshare.net/egfred/caricom-notes
3.  Caribbean Civilisation Foun 1101 UNIFIED COURSE GUIDE FOR STUDENTS Semester 1: 2017-2018
4. Trinidad and Tobagos History of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://curriculumhistory.org/Studies_in_Curriculum_History_and_Educational_Philosophy/Subjects_in_Trinidad_and_Tobagos_History_of_Education_files/Seretta%20Singh%20and%20Nandee%20James.pdf
5. Baptiste, A., Ottley, J., & Kaharabata-Toppin, T. (2004). CAPE Caribbean studies: a step-by-step writing guide. Christ Church, Barbados: Ottley Solutions.
5.Metacritic. Fire in Babylon