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I was initially skeptical about this course and thought that it would be exactly like Caribbean Studies. I was however wrong as this course went beyond Caribbean studies in enabling me to develop a more well-rounded Caribbean perspective with greater knowledge. It helped me to understand the complexities of the Amerindian civilization and that they were in fact civilized people contrary to the image painted of them by the Europeans. The course also helped me to truly understand the horrors of slavery and the scars left from this. It also showed me that one can have pride in both their West Indian heritage and pride in their ethnicity without one diminishing the other which is particularly shown in the regional pride at the success of the West Indies cricket team which also lead to African and East Indian pride. The most significant thing I learnt from this course was the tensions between Haiti and the Dominican Republic because I naively believed these neighbouring nations to be on amicable terms.

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The effect of a single story by Chimanda Ngozi Adichie

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The effect of a single story by Chimanda Ngozi Adichie

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This author raises the issue of how a single story has a widespread effect on countries across the world. In her speech she says, "Power is not just the ability to tell the story of a person but to make it the definitive story of the person", this line in a way showcases how nations with more influence on a global scale control the perspectives of people on places they have never been to. The author began by talking about the effect a singular story had on her growing up as a child where she was primarily exposed to books by foreign authors and the stories she wrote as a child were set from a non- African perspective with white protagonists in non-African settings. This is applicable to the Caribbean as extra regional influence can also be see affecting and shaping children's views, where children are more familiar with foreign fictional characters such as Captain America instead of characters from local folklore such as the Dwen. The author also uses another example from her life to illustrate her point where her room mate in university who believed Africa to be completely undeveloped and this also mirrors the fact that foreigners also have a limited view of the Caribbean with very few Caribbean nations with the exception of Jamaica commonly known outside of the region. The author also links the effects of a single story back to the colonial past with this quote from Mourid Bhargouti, " If you want to dispossess a simple way to do it is starting with secondly" and it is applicable to the Caribbean as we were also victims of colonialization. It also shows that a single story belittles those its written about and makes them seem one dimensional in comparison to the authors and one dimensional in the eyes of the readers.

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A single story can be defined as the occurrence of a story that is continuously propagated about a group of people or location often written from an outsider's perspective (Abagond)

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The effect of a single story on a children can be seen in their subconscious bias to white dolls that have continuously been held up as the standard for beauty

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The effect of a single story on a children can be seen in their subconscious bias to white dolls that have continuously been held up as the standard for beauty

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The effect of the Caribbean on Extra regional countries

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The effect of the Caribbean on Extra regional countries

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The influence of extra regional nations and their singular story on the region (particularly the United States of America) has long been noted, but in a time of Globalization the Caribbean has also managed to write our own story and affect the nations around us. This is the Caribbean's way of leaving our mark on the rest of world and global culture, and would help clear some misconceptions about the region. The Caribbean has left a distinct mark on the culture in other countries. This effect of music such as  Reggae can be seen in it's influence of foreign music such as the United Kingdom music group, The Police who adopted this style of music and Soca's influence is clearly seen in the electronic group, Major Lazer. Bob Marley, the most influential Reggae musician has become a global icon so much so that he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The steelpan (instrument invented in Trinidad and the only new  instrument made in the 21 century) has been used by orchestras throughout the world(Mohammed). The Caribbean has left  a mark on cuisine that can't be overlooked with West Indian companies establishing themselves in other countries, namely Golden Crust and Caribbean Food Delight

(Hillman). Caribbean cuisine such as Jerk Chicken and Doubles are well known outside of the Caribbean. Caribbean authors have such as Vidia Naipaul (Nobel Prize winner), Derek Walcott, Earl Lovelace and Jamaica Kincaid gained international claim and in doing so helped change the singular story. Peter Minshall, the veteran Carnival band designer was involved in the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

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Caribbean music has left a significant mark on foreign music, namely Hip Hop which is currently one of the dominant musical genre

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Caribbean music has left a significant mark on foreign music, namely Hip Hop which is currently one of the dominant musical genre

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Hip Hop DNA: Breaking Down the Caribbean's Impact On The Culture

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The often under-reported story of how important the Caribbeans are to Hip Hop music, the creation of the genre and where today's culture would be without the influence. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ComplexHustle/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVAWBDbI_scGDPB4kdz0e4Q Twitter: https://twitter.com/complexhustle Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complexhustle/ Complex Hustle is a lifestyle channel for creators, entrepreneurs and young professionals navigating the new economy.

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The immigration situation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic

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The immigration situation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic

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Haiti and the Dominican Republic are neighbouring nations both occupying the island of Hispaniola.  They are separated by a border and a different colonial past with the Dominican Republic reflecting a past under Spanish colonial rule and Haiti reflecting French colonial rule. They might share the same island but both nations have very different economic situations. Haiti is in a constant state of economic despair whilst their neighbour's have a more stable economy. It goes without saying that Haitians seeking a better life would view the grass as greener on the other side and desire to live in the Dominican Republic whether legally or not. This illegal immigration is what leads to strong tensions between the nations as illegal immigrants put a strain on social services and take jobs away from the locals.
Actions were taken by the Dominican Republic  government in 2013 where a court ruling removed approximately 200,000 Haitian immigrants and their descendants of their citizenship (Dominican)

(Mariano). This caused some tensions between citizens of both countries as racists and xenophobic Dominicans felt that they could openly express their distaste towards their Haitian neighbours. The seeds of discontent were first sown by Rafael Trujillo who gathered thousands of people on the Dominican border with Haiti and commanded them to identify a parsley sprig and anyone with a false pronunciation was killed (Alarcon).

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A map of Haiti and the Dominican Republic

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A map of Haiti and the Dominican Republic

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They might share the same Island but they no longer share the same love for each other

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Castillo, Story by Mariano. “Faces of a divided island.” CNN, Cable News Network, 13 Apr. 2016, edition.cnn.com/2016/04/12/world/dominican-republic-haiti-immigration/index.html.

Hillman, Richard S., and Thomas J. DAgostino. Understanding the contemporary Caribbean. Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2009.

2016., Javiera Alarcon April 4. “It's Really Happening: The Dominican Republic Is Deporting Its Haitian Residents. - FPIF.” Foreign Policy In Focus, 4 Apr. 2016, fpif.org/really-happening-dominican-republic-deporting-haitian-residents/.

Mohammed, Jeniffer Anne. Caribbean studies for CAPE® examinations: an interdisciplinary approach. Macmillan Education, 2015.

“The single story.” Abagond, 12 Mar. 2016, abagond.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/the-single-story/.