https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl Are All Caribbean People Really One? en-us 2020-04-15 23:13:35 UTC 2026-01-22 23:55:30 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-uploads.storage.googleapis.com/530214256/ce97e68ff8dd79bb96d11cf118970c79/Free_Sample_By_Wix.jpeg jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/509577261 The Introduction.
The following blog posts will discuss my view on the statement “All Ah We Is One”. This statement when translated to standard english means ‘all of us are one”. Using the topics of Caribbean folklore, the various carnival festivals within the region as well as cricket, more specifically the West Indies Cricket Team, to aid in the explanation of why I do believe that ‘all ah we is one’ as Caribbean people.]]> 2020-04-15 23:26:12 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/509577261 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/511495371 Folklore is described by the Cambridge dictionary as the traditional stories, beliefs and customs of people. Within the Caribbean we have various traditional stories which stood the test of time and survived through the tradition of storytelling into contemporary Caribbean Life. Caribbean folklore contains elements from each ancestral group which inhabited the lands.Caribbean Folklore: A Handbook by Donald R. Hill explains this point by saying,  “The narrative of Caribbean culture consists of the lives of Creoles, Asians, American Indians, and others. Collectively, these people create and re-create lifeways that permeated by a serendipitous body of folklore.” (Hill pg 1) It also adds that Anthropologists view myths as the keystone of folk narrative that deals with the supernatural origin of the world and a people's place in it. (Hill pg 15) As a result of the Caribbean’s colonial history or past, english speaking and even french speaking Caribbean territories share various folktales. Anancy stories are told across the Caribbean in countries like Jamaica, Grenada, St.Lucia, the Virgin Islands, Suriname and even the Netherland Antilles. “Anancy'' may have been referred to by various names within the mentioned territories however he remained a fictional ‘spider-man’ or ‘spider’. Folktales of La Diablesse, Mama Dlo, Papa Bois and the Soucouyant were told in countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, St.Lucia, Guyana and Grenada.  In Guyana, the Soucouyant is referred to as the ‘Ole Higue’. As seen before, despite the name being different in various Caribbean countries, it is the same character. This is also seen in the case of the “Churail’ or “Churile” in Guyana ,which is a tale of the evil spirit of a woman who died while pregnant or during childbirth and haunts pregnant woman and newborn babies, and Mama Malade in Grenada as well as Trinidad. “..often, single elements of the myth would be related in folktales, proverbs and other short segments … If a myth is told as a narrative. Every storyteller has his version of the myths, and people from different villages or different cultures would have different versions, often ones that favoured them…” (Hill pg 16) This helps us see why the names of characters may be different in other Caribbean countries. However, predominantly english speaking countries such as Grenada, St.Lucia, Guyana and Trinidad still relay stories of characters with names of a french origin as seen in the case of Mama Dlo, Papa Boi and La Diablesse. Folklore helps us see that despite being separated by bodies of water as well as language barriers in the case of French speaking territories, Dutch, Creole, etc that we are still connected.]]> 2020-04-16 19:22:28 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/511495371 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/511743835 These are illustrations that I drew of a Soucouyant to the left and La Diablesse on the right.]]> 2020-04-16 22:28:44 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/511743835 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/515089344 2020-04-19 09:05:27 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/515089344 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/515097793 2020-04-19 09:10:44 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/515097793 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/515099592 This is a link where information and stories about Caribbean Folklore characters can be found.]]> 2020-04-19 09:12:13 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/515099592 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/515103726 2020-04-19 09:15:58 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/515103726 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/526702506 2020-04-23 19:07:24 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/526702506 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/526896480 2020-04-23 20:49:33 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/526896480 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/527058138 “Secondly, much attention has been devoted to the manner in which the West Indies’ growing prowess in international cricket has not merely reflected but may actively have simulated the rise of nationalist (and, to some extent, racial) self-consciousness in the British Caribbean. It was, some have argued, only when they saw their cricket team locked in combat with that of their English colonial masters that Jamaicans, Barbadians, Trinidadians and Guyanese came to see themselves as West Indians possessing a common historical, cultural and political identity transcending the insularity, isolation and inter-territorial competitiveness that many West Indians see as among the most baleful legacies of British colonialism in the Caribbean. In this view, the key date is without question 1950, the year that, to the accompaniment of steel bands, calypsos and mass enthusiasm among the newly installed West Indian migrant population, the West Indies defeated England in England for the first time, ...thereby emerging as a world cricketing power on par with England, Australia and South Africa.” (Beckles and Stoddart pg 89) This was an excerpt from the book Liberation Cricket: West Indies Cricket Culture by Hillary Beckles and Biran Stoddart. This reveals the importance and significance of this match against England in 1950 as it was the match which truly unified the team as well as the Caribbean despite the team being formed about 70 years earlier in the 1880s. The documentary Fire In Babylon directed by Stevan Riley captures the history and the personal experience of the very cricketers who formed the West Indies team during its dominance from the 1970s and its significance to Caribbean people in that post-colonial era and the point made in the excerpt. In the documentary, Antigua’s Vivian Richards states that cricket (at that time) was about showcasing that you were equal to your past colonial ruler. Fast bowler Michael Holding from Jamaica reinforces this point by adding that it was more than simply cricket as it represented a region and ‘a matter of feeling of worth.’ Michael Holding later makes the point that the West Indies is made up of a host of different islands, governments and attitudes but despite these things the ‘islands come together under the banner of the West Indies Cricket Team’. Unit 8 of the Caribbean Civilisation course, titled Caribbean Cultural Expression: Festivals, Music and Spor, serves to bolster the previously stated views as it states “...sports have served to bind and promote island and regional nationalism, The pride taken in a national or Caribbean team, for example, is not only a personal identification between Caribbean individuals and the team; it also encompassess political considerations for the region.”

]]> 2020-04-23 22:56:21 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/527058138 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/527170095 2020-04-24 00:42:13 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/527170095 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529383910 2020-04-24 21:56:13 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529383910 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529384728 2020-04-24 21:57:00 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529384728 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529420142 2020-04-24 22:37:09 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529420142 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529466630 The Carnival festival is celebrated throughout the Caribbean region. ‘A Brief History of Carnival Celebrations in the Caribbean’ written by Christopher Curley states that “It’s tied to colonialism, religion conversion, and ultimately freedom and celebration. The festival originated with Italian Catholics in Europe, and it later spread to the French and Spanish, who brought the pre-Lenten tradition with them when they settled (and brought slaves to) Trinidad, Dominica, Haiti, Martinique, and other Caribbean islands.” Carnival festival is one of the most unifying festivals or cultural events celebrated within the Caribbean region. Unit 8 of the Caribbean Civilisation course, titled Caribbean Cultural Expression: Festivals, Music and Sports states that “Many writers agree that Trinidad and Tobago Carnival brings together people of diverse backgrounds.” A common practice is island hopping where West Indies and even foreigners or tourists go from island to island within the region to partake in the carnival festival and events. Soca music ,which adds to the experience of Carnival, promotes a sense of unity among West Indians. Songs like ‘Represent’ by Machel Montano and Freetown speak on the vibe at carnival with lyrics like “People everywhere, love and unity is there. It’s not time yet but we don't care. It don't matter where are you from put your flag in the air”.Another song by Farmer Nappy titles ‘Family’ also exudes this spirit of unity and love as it says, “Any stranger that we bounce up on from any land see we socializing.. And shouting that's my family cause we link up and get on like we is Family. That's my family. Don’t care where you come from, all ah we is Family. See that gyal in de band? Family. Stranger you whine on? Family. Dj right there? Family. Spreading love in the air. Family any name you call? Family. Could be big or small? Family. Liming whole day. Cause that's my family.” “From Trinidad and Tobago, Carnival spread to many other islands, where the tradition fused with the unique local cultures, such as salsa showcases on Antigua, and calypso in Dominica. Some celebrations have even moved off the Easter calendar and are celebrated in the late spring or summer.” (Curley pg 1) Despite Carnival having different titles in other islands as well as the date, the theme of unity still prevails. Whether it be Crop Over in Barbados, Vincy Mas in St.Vincent or Batabano in the Cayman Islands, it remains a unifying event of culture and creativity.]]> 2020-04-24 23:42:46 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529466630 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529467786 2020-04-24 23:44:37 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529467786 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529521828 Despite our differences, that being racial or political and languages, we as West Indians are all very much connected. Our colonial past connects us through its influence on our folktales. This allows us to share common experiences about folktales growing up. Persons from Grenada are able to relate to or identify with the folklore of St.Lucia and so on with the other islands. These differences were set aside inorder to form our West Indies Cricket Team. As Michael Holding said, the various islands within the Caribbean region came together under the banner of the West Indies undeterred by those differences that they had. This enabled us to dominate a sport which was once dominated by our past colonial masters by uniting as one. Our Carnival festival and events promote a sense of unity as all persons from all walks of life are welcomed. In the words of Machel Montano in his song ‘Bring the Beat’ featuring Tessanne Chin, “One love. One beat. That’s the dance of victory. One love. One soul. One people.” This truly represents and conveys the true meaning of ‘All Ah We Is One’.]]> 2020-04-25 01:15:04 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529521828 jewelcherubin https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529541646 2020-04-25 01:55:50 UTC https://padlet.com/jewelcherubin/veya5s6o8hfhzrvl/wish/529541646