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Upon completion of FOUN 1101 I learnt that my Caribbean identity reflects a mélange of cultures which entails not only the way I recognize myself but also the ways I am perceived by others. Culture relates subjectively how we as a people view ourselves and given the Caribbean is so ethnically diverse most of the times the majority partake of other individual’s  identity hence shapes the Caribbean to what it is today.

This course was online oriented which I greatly appreciated. Hence I was able to listen to the lectures at the convenience of my home for the first time. This was very effective given the demand of “UWI life” I was able to listen the recordings at a time most suitable for me. One thing that stood out with regards to this course was the integration of other Caribbean nationals while it could have been limited to Trinidadian nationals; I was therfore able to learn about their various cultures given the online discussions. However if this teaching style is to continue it will need a bit of fine tuning, to make it more effective, given that at times it would stick, lose audio and the fact of it not being able to fast play, instead it just started all over.

With regards to tutorials sessions a one percent would have been greatly appreciated for attendance however Mr. Murray was great. His tutorials were very informative and interactive and he was always approachable (even after classes), always open minded to our thoughts and would always teach down to the last minute (lol). Can’t forget Ms. Marie very passionate and has a great personality. Special thanks to them both and Dr. Campbell for making this course as interesting as it was.

As sad as it may sound I was never too engrossed about Caribbean Civilization, however this course has really broaden my knowledge in this area. The knowledge did leave room for discussion, for example there was a video Mr. Murray showed on the Middle passage while it stirred up great emotions it had me thinking in my mind was it worth them coming to Caribbean, having endured all that they did?

Looking forward I can surely see myself promoting this course by expanding my knowledge further and relating the importance of our past to the up coming generation.

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The manifestation of religion was introduced to the Caribbean upon arrival of the “early” Europeans. However Christianity resulted into the denomination of Pentecostalism which originated as African slaves were forced to rid their initial religions and so formed new ones. Pentecostalism adheres to the inerrancy of scripture and the necessity of accepting Christ as personal Lord and Savior.[1]

Religion is one aspect of Caribbean identity that I can say reflects particularly to me as an individual. As part of my Caribbean identity it instills particular morals, values and beliefs that which make me peculiar compared to others of different religious identities. Pentecostalism teaches individuals that though we are in the world we are not part of the world as explained further in my dated entry below.

Religion is one aspect of Caribbean identity that shapes who I am in terms of the values, morals and believe, which I express in my everyday walk in life; hence influences the way I dress, my self expression, and places or events I will spend my time. Lastly one can note that this concept of Caribbean identity results to further integration of cultural as it addresses the objective of social environment given that the church I fellowship at takes me out off my home geographic.

[1] "Pentecostalism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Apr. 2017. Web.

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Upon arrival to the Caribbean the East Indians brought their culinary traditions which included their own foods and sweets along with their traditional seasonings and cooking methods. Amongst these included cloves, ginger, saffron, dhall, and spices, the most commonly used curries. After which foods such as sada roti, doubles, anchar and pholourie and sweets like kurma, gulab jamun, prasad, and barfie become part of Trinidad and Tobago national cuisine.

Doubles is a commonly eaten delicacy which is indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago; however it originated from Indian culture as it is made with a variety of Indian foods such as channa and spices such as curry and saffron.

In reference to the entry below, doubles eating reflects one of current importance as one can see that a bride and groom of African ethnicity had it on their way to their wedding reception. Hence I can say that food culture in Trinidad is not solely tied to any one ethnicity. As stated in the article the coupled wanted doubles to be apart of their wedding as it has always been a special delicacy for them. One can see that the doubles ties in great emotions, that of happiness, for the couple on their special day.

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Indian wear was brought to the Caribbean upon indentureship and so remains part of it since many settled within the Caribbean upon indentureship abolition. Women wear saris and salwar and men dhoti kurta and kurta pajama for special occasions like Hindu weddings, festivals such as Divali or Phagwah and funerals. While Indian clothing symbolizes tradition and that of modesty; it results due to the manifestation of integration of the cultures found within Indian as the sari and salwar originates from eastern and northwestern part of India respectively.

Indian clothing is accepted as part of my Caribbean identity given that I am mixed with Indian-Africandescent. Growing up with my Indian side of family for Hindu weddings such is worn to express and support such culture. In reference to the entry below I wore a Shalwarwhichis a knee-length dress worn over tight fitting trousers to my neighbours Hindu wedding. And for my grandfathers’ funeral, him being Hindu I wore a plain white Shalwar as it symbolizes purity and is used to show respect to the deceased. Given that I am not part of any Hindu denomination, the culture that the East Indians brought from as far as East India are as presently still embedded as part of who I am, this partially reflects my identity due to Caribbean civilization.

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Soca music is a genre that originated by the late Garfield Blackman, a.k.a. "Ras Shorty I". This stemmed from the embedded culture that was brought to the Caribbean shores upon slavery and consist of classical Indian and calypso music. The resulted fusion of both cultures was appreciated by Blackman considering the roots of Middle passage and indentureship. Utilization of Indian tradittional instruments such as the dholak gave a new twist to calypso music which arosed from African slavery.

In reference to the below entry, from a personal analysis of Blackman’s lyrics of the song “Watch out my children,” I grasp that it was intended to bring about awareness to the youths about what is expected in this journey of life and moreover what is expected of them themselves. He goes on to say “walk cautiously, children be alert,” which reflects from my perspective that “life is not a bed of roses and it is what you make it.”

Soca music has now developed into various sub-genres due to the evolution of the international soca monarch, an event that was a current issue in Trinidad given the passing 2017 Carnival. This annual event merges Caribbean nationals, as various nationals compete thereby resulting to continued Caribbean integration.

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Caribbean Civilization (FOUN1101) is a course established by the University of The West Indies that addresses a variety of themes and topics highlighting the existence of culture and civilization in the region via the concept of revisionism. This portfolio however seeks to reflect the impact of my cultural retention of my Caribbean Identity as seen by four dated entries below, which reflects music, clothing, food and religion.
In doing so, this portfolio covers 4 learning objectives:
1. The importance of Caribbean Civilisation.
2. The impact of Caribbean Civilisation in relation to my social or geographical environment.
3. Understanding the significance of a problem of regional importance as reflected in news and current affairs relations.
4. Course self-eveluation.