So what is the Caribbean? Tackling this question has always been a tricky task since no one commonly accepted definition exists. In fact, there are many perspectives that can be taken into account when it comes to defining the Caribbean. Some of the more popular definitions are derived based off of different perspectives such as cultural perspectives, geographical perspectives, historical perspectives and even political perspectives to name a few. The main issue of having so many different definitions is that sometimes a country maybe considered a part of the Caribbean based off of a particular definition but they would be completely excluded as part of the region based off another definition.  

While defining the Caribbean poses as a daunting task, there two general views on the Caribbean. On one hand, the Caribbean is seen as a world renowned tourist destination that offers all the Sun, Sea and Sand a tourist can possibly want as well as tons of breathtaking views. While on the other hand, some simply see the Caribbean as just a third world region consisting of many underdeveloped nations.

When discussing the topic of development in the Caribbean, two terms that usually goes up are globalization and regional integration.

What is ‘Regional Integration’? According to Business Dictionary, “regional integration is an arrangement for enhancing cooperation through regional rules and institutions entered into by states of the same region.” The objective of regional integration usually varies based off of what that particular region is trying to achieve. An example of a well-known regional integration scheme in the Caribbean is that of CARICOM, whose main objectives are to promote economic integration and cooperation among its member states. Regional integration can be achieved through cultural expressions such as sports, festivals, music and religion.

The Caribbean is the home to some of the most well-known and successful athletes in the world. The region has ‘bred’ athletes such as Usain Bolt, Ato Boldon, George Bovell and Merlene Ottey who have won a number of Olympic medals for the region which has also contributed to the region’s popularity. 

Sports have always been used as a medium for uniting the West Indian people. In the Caribbean many sports are played; football, tennis, golf, volleyball and basketball but of all the sports played in the region, cricket is the most popular out of the bunch. Cricket plays a significant role in the region’s history and has helped shape the Caribbean identity as we know it. Cricket was first introduced in the Caribbean by the British and its popularity had quickly spread to the African population. The introduction of cricket contained psychological motives to encourage positive behaviors in the imperial subjects. Prior to cricket, white superiority was prominent and played a major role at the time. The blacks had gotten exceptionally well at the game and had won many games against the whites. This gave the blacks a sense of pride as ‘they were beating the whites at their own game,’ and it also chipped the thought of white superiority. 

So how do sports encourage regional development? Sports encourage sport tourism in the region. Since the Caribbean is a tourist hub, it is not a surprise that many tourist visits the Caribbean to observe and participate in their sports. This type of tourism is called sports tourism and occurs when a person travels to a particular region or nation mainly to spectate or engage in a sporting event. Sports tourism generates a number of opportunities to the host country such as; a generation of revenue, seasonal employment for locals, business for hotels and travel agencies as well as it also gives the host country and the region a sense of recognition. 

You may be wandering, how does globalization comes into play? Well globalization of sports is where the sport is spread to different regions and changes to become ‘better’. Due to globalization of sports, cricket has spread to countries such as Australia and India. While some sees this as a disadvantage to the region as the sport is no longer unique to the Caribbean and will ultimately lead to a decline in sports tourism for the region and also a lack of global recognition. Others view this as an advantage since it gives the region an opportunity to create better relations with other nations in the world and develop a sense of unity.

Another factor that promotes regional integration is that of festivals. The Caribbean’s diaspora is rich and diverse so it’s no surprise that the region celebrates and acknowledges a number of different festivals from many different cultures. Festivals such as Diwali, Hosay, Carnival, Christmas and Eid-Ul-Fitr are all celebrated in the Caribbean. Due to cultural diversity, the celebration of different festivals promotes cultural integration. Many tourists also visit the region during the time of these celebrations to engage in the festivities as well. This is called festival tourism. Like sports tourism, festival tourism generates revenue,job creation, and an increase in foreign direct investment as well as global recognition. 

While there are a number of advantages of festival tourism, there are a number of drawbacks as well. For example, during the Carnival season there is usually a high rate of crime, an increase in sexually transmitted diseases, a political shift in government’s priorities, inflation, loss of privacy and seasonal employment. 

During Carnival season, the government places priority on the safety of the incoming tourist since if anything were to happen to them, it would result in negative publicity for the country as well as the region. This would result in an exhaust of human resources since there would be a demand for more police officers and security guards to ensure the safety of tourists. Not only would there be a strain on the country’s human resources but on insufficient infrastructure as well. Due to a large arrival of tourist, there is often an increase in track congestion since the local government is unable to full prepare for a surge of incoming people.

Seasonal employment is also another issue facing the Caribbean during times of Carnival. While one may view seasonal employment as a good thing since there is job creation but usually after the Carnival season is over, those that were seasonally employed would now become unemployed for the remainder of the year until the Carnival season returns next year. Unemployment on the hold undermines development because the government is forced to give out unemployment grants and they also lose out on tax opportunities.

Globalization of festivals usually results in the spreading of the festivals across the region and the globe. Trinidad is the original home of Carnival but different variations can be found across the region. Traditionally, Carnival was celebrated to mark the beginning of Lent, where Catholics would abstain from eating meat for a period of forty days. It was celebrated by parading the streets dressed in masquerade, dancing and music. Traditionally, the costumes were on the conservative side but due to globalization and Western influence on carnival, the costumes became more revealing and the genre of music also changed from calypso to soca. 

In relation to the evolution of Carnival music, this brings us to our next point. In the Caribbean there are many different genres of music like reggae, dancehall, soca, calypso, chutney and ska. There are many uses and purposes for music. Listening to music can be used as a form of relaxation from a stressful day, a form of entertainment or even to communication one’s feelings. Similar to sports, music plays a crucial part in bringing people together. Persons that share a similar preference to a specific genre can often relate better with one another due to a sense of belonging and understanding. 

As time progressed, the meaning behind music changed. Traditionally, music genres such as calypso and reggae were used to highlight social issues such as political corruption, racism and slavery. Bob Marley’s “redemption song” highlights slavery and racism as well as efforts made by prominent persons in history like Marcus Garvey and Martin Luther King jr. whose goal was to promoted freedom for black persons through black consciousness.   While the message behind such songs was considered to be controversial to some, it still helped in educating persons on social issues that were plaguing the Caribbean at that point in time. These songs also brought recognition to the region and due to globalization, reggae music reached the ears of many and this was seen by the Rastafarian movement that occurred globally.

While globalization assisted in the growth of a movement, it also triggered the evolution of reggae music and the creation of a sub-genre; dancehall. Many view dancehall in a negative light because of its contents. An example of this would be reggae artist Popcaan’s El Chapo which talks about killing someone and many believe this has negative effects on the youths that listen to this genre of music. A common belief as well is that songs are becoming more vulgar and talks about sex, drugs and prostitution due to a western influence.

Christopher Columbus’ main goal when he set out on his voyage in fourteen ninety-two (1492) was to gain goal and glory of Spain as well as to spread Christianity. For hundreds and hundreds of years, religion has always played a significant role. In the Caribbean, there are many different types of religion that are practiced because of the Caribbean’s diverse diaspora. Christianity, Hinduism and Islam are three of the most popular religions in the region, with Christianity being one of the fastest growing religions. Globalization has facilitated the growth of Christianity and other religions as well through the spreading of the religion via different mediums. The Caribbean has always had a strong belief in religion; however the presence of globalization has also encouraged the growth of atheism which creates a separation in society, which does not work towards regional integration.

Overall, regional integration is important and there are many factors such as sports, festivals, music and religion that can be used to promote and encourage regional development however, globalization is a major factor that can undermine or grantee the success of regional integration strategies. However, specific strategies and tactics should be put in place so that the Caribbean region can gain from all that globalization has to offer while minimizing the negative effects of it.