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Campbell, J (2012) Beyond Massa sugar management in the British Caribbean, 1770- 1834. Wellesley, M.A. : Calaloux Publications.

Carrington, S (2003) The Sugar Industry and the Abolition of the Slave Trade, 1775-1810. Florida. University Press of Florida.

Guardian Newspaper 30th march 2017, Spiritual Baptists show unity Today.Shastri Boodan.

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Self-evaluation of learning for the semester

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Self-evaluation of learning for the semester

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Caribbean Civilization was a very interesting course. I learned not just about historical occurrences in the Caribbean, but how the Caribbean developed and how identified attributes affected life in the Caribbean as we would know it. I was able to assess the different views of various theologist and critically analyze their findings as no historical information can not be validated. It can be seen as one's personal experience during that time.

The course allowed me the opportunity to look into the eyes of the African slaves and indentured workers experience from their native countries to the Caribbean. the wider world was often not aware of life in the Caribbean as most of those slaves never return home. The importance of religion to set the status Quo and the diversification of the different cultures which existed at that time.

The different roles that were played by both male and female not being awarded the privilege of being educated, poor living conditions, inhumane treatment by those who ruled over the minority. And the list can go on. Generally, it opened my mind to understanding the differences amongst the different cultures within the Caribbean and why some of these customs and norms still exist today.

With this new form knowledge, of the Caribbean and its Civilization, I can now say that I understand a lot of the laws and uprisings which occurred. It can now be seen as a way for equality among all cultures and all classes of people. These provisions came into place so that every creed and race can find an equal place.

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Caribbean Cultural Expressions Entry Three: Cultural diversity in the Caribbean

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Caribbean Cultural Expressions Entry Three: Cultural diversity in the Caribbean

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Cultural diversity refers to people of different origins, culture, and ways of life, living alongside each other, without one getting in the way of the other and trying to force their way on other people.  University of the West Indies Professor Rex Nettleford has said "The awesome complexity of Caribbean life and culture, which ranges from language and religion to artistic manifestation in the literary, performing, and visual arts is more than “the binary syndrome of Europe suggests,”

The first evidence of Cultural diversity can be seen during the colonial times where there were different races of labor being imported all over the world, some of which were African Slaves, Indian Indentured laborer’s, and the Chinese workers. They all brought with them aspects of their culture into the Caribbean. These aspects would include food, religious practices, and languages. Although the difference amongst the various cultures in the Caribbean ranged greatly, they had to co-exist.
Over the years cultural mixing has been seen through relationships, schooling, and social groups. Persons are now of the opinion that they can interact with persons outside of their culture. This was not so during slavery. Each ethnic group would stick to their own people. As the Caribbean developed, so did the cultures, Africans were now seen having children with Indians and so with other cultures. This opens the platform for not just the mixing of races but the mixing and understanding of different cultures as they became widely accepted and respected across the Caribbean.

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Agricultural change in the Caribbean Entry Two: The cultivation of sugar 

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Agricultural change in the Caribbean Entry Two: The cultivation of sugar 

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Trinidad began its road to development with the sugar industry which obtained its first boost with the arrival of Roume de St. Laurent and his French compatriots with their slaves in 1783.  Though discovered in 1498 by Christopher Columbus who claimed the island for Spain, Trinidad was largely ignored until 1777 when Philippe Rose Roume de Saint-Laurent made his first visit to Trinidad.

Roume de Saint-Laurent was a French planter born in Grenada who saw Trinidad’s potential in many ways.  He wrote an in-depth report on the development potential of the island and although he was not given credit at the time, his advice was taken into consideration by the Spanish King.  This led to the historic issuance of the Cedula of Population on November 20th, 1783, which was designed to attract immigrants to the island.

While some of the land gained was used to plant cane, Trinidad’s sugar industry was further amplified when the island was taken over by England.  The war in Europe bought a fleet of British ships into Trinidad waters in 1797 and without much of a fight Trinidad changed hands and became a British possession. For the next century, Trinidad became a typical British sugar colony with its fortune following the price of sugar.Caroni was created when Tate and Lyle in 1937, a British multi-national company bought our Caroni Sugar Estates (Trinidad) Ltd making a conglomerate which included Waterloo on the Western coast and Brechin Castle in Couva.

By the end of the 20th century, as oil became increasingly significant, the sugar industry and agriculture generally sank into a low second place until the state closed down Caroni Ltd in 2003, retrenching 9,000 workers directly and a further 35,000 who were indirectly dependant on the industry.  At present over 75000 acres of land from the Caroni sugar plantation are being wasted away, covered in weeds and trees the land just sit there with no production. In 2016 there was a drastic decline in the price for a barrel of oil in Trinidad, which is one of the major contributors to the country's ongoing economic recession, after being highly reliant on oil and gas. with no focus on agriculture with the necessary resource are available but lack manpower and interests.

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Religion, Education, and the Caribbean Family life Entry One: Religion Dominance 

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Religion, Education, and the Caribbean Family life Entry One: Religion Dominance 

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According to Shastri Boodan article published in the Guardian News Paper on the 30th of March 2017, this year’s commemoration is a special one as it marks 100 years since the Spiritual Baptist faith was outlawed in 1917 and 66 years since it was repealed. Spiritual Baptist endured great difficulty in being a recognized and respected religion in Trinidad and Tobago. During this Caribbean Civilization course, it was seen that Catholicism was the most dominant religion as the Europeans tried to convince African slaves to convert to Catholicism to control the slaves based on attitudes and conduct.

Slavery brought several different religions as it brought different ethnicities. However, the African slaves were the only ones not allowed to practice their faith, due to their practices it was perceived that the Baptist religion was one of witchcraft and ungodly teachings and that they were chattel. The activities of the Spiritual Baptist in T&T were prohibited in 1917 by the Shouter Prohibition Ordinance, which was eventually repealed in 1951. Thereafter the Baptist endured over 30 years of prosecution.

Despite their challenges, they never gave up they never stop practicing their religion even though it was scrutinized. They practiced their religion on the run. If found practicing their religion, police officers had the right to detain the said individuals. The Spiritual Baptist (or Shouter Baptist) faith is a syncretic Afro-American religion that combines elements of traditional African religion with Christianity. Despite the African influences, Spiritual Baptists consider themselves to be Christians.

The late opposition parliamentarian Ashford Sinanan moved to repeal the ordinance under the PNM government and was successful.
In 1996 the government of T&T granted a public holiday to the Spiritual Baptist faith, to be celebrated on March 30, called Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day, in memory of the struggle and in recognition of the repeal of the prohibition laws. T&T is the only country that celebrates a public holiday for the Spiritual Baptist faith.