What is Intolerance? And what is Mistrust?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, Mistrust is "a lack of trust; suspicion." Intolerance is defined by Dictionary.com as "unwillingness or refusal to tolerate or respect opinions or beliefs contrary to one's own."
Is the Caribbean society today really characterized by suspicion and narrow-mindedness at all levels? We must analyze this from different perspectives- the different levels of Caribbean life.
On the Economic Level:
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| A symbol of Regional Integration |
In the earlier half of the 20th century, there were attempts at creating organizations for economic integration. These included the West Indies Federation and Caribbean Commission. However, these agreements collapsed due to mistrust and political disagreements among the governments of the islands (Garcia 58). In later years, around 1968, more attempts at economic integration surfaced and led to the creation of CARIFTA and eventually, CARICOM (Garcia 59).
CARICOM (Caribbean Community) is still operational today. CARICOM’s main purposes are to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy (Encyclopedia Britannica). This depicts trust among the members of this organization on a political and governmental level. In government established the CARICOM and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), which would harmonize economic policy and create a single currency (Encyclopedia Britannica). This goal, if fulfilled, would depict a high level of trust and tolerance among governments of the countries in the organization, as there would be shared benefits and cooperation among member states. The free trade in the Caribbean among the members of CARICOM also shows trust among Caribbean countries. However, disputes over trade and division of benefits arise, which are addressed by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Garcia concludes that it is the market, rather than governments, which drive the emerging process of regional integration (Garcia 68).
This concept of Regional Integration highlights a sense of a Regional Identity among the Caribbean countries. On the other hand, Garcia states that one of the factors that divide the Caribbean is the "difference between island and continental economies". Many of the continental countries that border the rim of the Caribbean Basin define their identities not as Caribbean but as Andean (Venezuela and Colombia), Central American (Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua) or North American (Mexico). For these countries, the Caribbean is but a region, often marginalized (Garcia 62). This quote shows that there is a lack of a combined, Caribbean Identity on the part of the continental Caribbean countries; they seem to have a regional identity, but separate from the Caribbean.
The Formation of the Caribbean Society- Cultural and Ethnic Diversity
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| A representation of racial diversity in the Caribbean |
The Formation of a Diverse Caribbean Society
Caribbean culture can be
viewed as a body of learned behaviors common to the Caribbean region, and
which is passed on from generation to generation (Murray 2). Cultural
expressions include the Arts, Sports, and Festivals.
Music, Dance, Literature and
other art forms are all passed down from the generations before and contribute
to forming a Caribbean culture.
The Caribbean culture is shaped
by the various diasporic groups who peopled the region. The Caribbean people
today involve descendants of the indigenous peoples, the Africans, the Europeans,
and the Asians (Indians and Chinese). This is the cause of the racially and culturally diverse Caribbean population today. The Africans were introduced to the
Caribbean through the Caribbean Chattel Slavery system that took place from
1662 to 1834. The Europeans involve the Spanish,
English, Dutch, and French, who were colonizers of the Caribbean countries,
some of which were plantation owners during the periods of slavery and
indentured labour. After the emancipation of slavery in 1834, Chinese
indentureship schemes were introduced, from the 1850s to the 1880s. Over 500,000 East Indians entered the
Caribbean region between 1838- 1917 because of the East Indian Indentureship
scheme.
The Caribbean society today is
made up of the descendants of all of these diasporic groups. The food, dress,
music, religion, festivals and political life of the different diasporic groups
came together to form a Caribbean culture (Hall 42,43).
Is Race an Issue in the Caribbean? Signs of Mistrust and Intolerance
As we know, the Caribbean is racially and ethnically diverse. But is Race a factor that leads to mistrust and intolerance in the Caribbean? Is there tolerance or intolerance on a Racial level?
A History of Racial Intolerance
The Caribbean's History shows racial discrimination and intolerance among the different racial groups. The sole fact that West Africans were captured and used as slaves by the Europeans- being dehumanized and abused- shows that the Europeans had a high level of intolerance towards the blacks. They did not treat the Africans as humans with equal rights, thus they did not tolerate the Africans' human rights. Also, Africans did not trust whites. After the emancipation of slavery, there was the establishment of a White Immigration Scheme for a relatively short period. There was a high level of mistrust from the blacks concerning this scheme (Hall 52). This mistrust is illustrated in the following quote:
"All the great, lazy, big-bellied fools send for Emigrants to do we harm, and now dat we find Emigrants cant harm we, it is we business to tick out for good wages whatever come”. (Francis Munroe, black carpenter. Wilmot, 52).
Furthermore, there was racial prejudice and discrimination against the East Indians during the period of East Indian Indentureship. There were stereotypes and myths associated with the Indians.
According to John Gladstone: “they had no religion, no education and in their present state no wants beyond eating, drinking and sleeping." They were called pejorative names, such as 'low life manual worker' and 'Coolie' (Hall 39).
What about now?
A study by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has found that the problems of race are most persistent in the Caribbean, compared to other parts of the Americas (Guardian). Prof. Rose-Marie Belle Antoine says "While we pat ourselves on the back for being rainbow countries, the reality is that there are still race tensions in our societies. In more modern times this has manifested itself most prominently in the relations between Indo and African-Caribbean peoples, particularly in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago" (Guardian).
According to Cecily Jones, the colonial past is still present in Caribbean societies today. Jones states that "whiteness continues to signal social and cultural capital to this day, This is evidenced by the concentration of white and lighter-skinned people within the elite." Jones further states that this issue gives rise to "the ubiquitous and dangerous phenomenon of skin bleaching practiced by women and men of all social classes" (Jones).
Emilio Pantejas Garcia further reiterates this issue as he states that Dominicans refer to Haitians as "blacks" or "negros" while the lighter-skinned Dominicans are termed as "Indians".
Garcia states that there is also a history of mistrust among "West Indians" and "East Indians" within the English speaking Caribbean, especially in Trinidad and Guyana. These ethnic and xenophobic prejudices, which should not be confused with national pride, hamper also the development of a Caribbean project of economic integration (Garcia 65).
On the Educational Level - Signs of Trust and Tolerance
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| The Vincentian Student Association at "Parade of the Nations" at UWI St. Augustine.A celebration of unity in diversity. |
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| The students of UWI St. Augustine are diverse but tolerant of each others' nationality and culture. |
Today
What about on a Cultural Level?
Different Aspects of Culture
FESTIVALS
CARIFESTA
The video above shows how the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) brings the people of the Caribbean together. According to the CARICOM website, like other significant institutions such as cricket, CXC, and CARICOM that symbolize a Caribbean commonality, the Festival reinforces our unity in the midst of our splendid diversity (CARICOM).
The event is staged over a period of several days with varied presentation formats that include exhibitions, displays, demonstrations, concerts, shows, recitals, discussions, pageantry, and plays within a village atmosphere (CARICOM).
This festival depicts a high level of tolerance for the cultures of the islands of the Caribbean.
CARNIVAL
Different Caribbean countries observe different forms of carnivals. Examples are Crop Over in Barbadoes and Vincy Mas in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. These festivals celebrate the traditional art forms of the country. The costumes, folklore, music, and dance that were passed down from generations before are portrayed and celebrated. The carnival festival brings together different ethnic elements of the Caribbean. An example of this is through the playing of Mas, where some Carnival characters have European influence (eg. Dame Lorainne), some have African influence (eg. Midnight Robber), some have American influence (eg. the Wild Indian), among others. The blending of ethnic elements is also seen in the music and the dances.
Carnival also unifies the Caribbean in the sense that it stimulates persons to travel from one island to another to observe the festival in its host country. Tolerance and trust are displayed in these festivals.
MUSIC AND DANCE
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| A Vincentian UWI student enjoys the song "Leave Me Alone", a Soca Song by Calypso Rose, who is a Trinidadian artiste. |
The zouk is a style of dance music originated from the French Caribbean Islands (Encyclopedia Britannica), Calypso primarily came from Trinidad but is sung throughout the Eastern Caribbean, Merengue originated from the Dominican Republic, Bomba arose out of Puerto Rico, and Reggae sprung out of Jamaica. All of these styles of music are enjoyed throughout the Caribbean, and more styles have stemmed from these over the years. For example, after the East Indians settled in the Caribbean, Chutney music was created, which involves Indian lyrics combined with Calypso elements.
The birth of calypso can be traced to the arrival of the enslaved West Africans, who used their own kind of music and songs as a form of communication and self-expression (Murray 11).
'Diluted' forms of music have come into existence, such as Dancehall and Soca. Every person is entitled to their own preference in music. These music preferences may vary with the age of the persons, or the socialization and beliefs which they hold. Some persons may not tolerate the more recent, 'diluted' styles of music, while some may tolerate them.
However, the fact that all of these music styles are played and promoted throughout the Caribbean shows tolerance for the styles of the different Caribbean islands.
According to Mr. Garcia, cultural and historical factors act as convergences towards Caribbean integration. Caribbean rhythms have traveled and continue to travel throughout the region following migration. Puerto Rican "bomba" is the Creole's Caribbean belle dance and reggaeton is the "syncretic" product of Marley's reggae, rap, and hip hop. Salsa, reggae, zouk, and merengue meet and redefine themselves in this migratory path (Garcia).
- These concepts of blending cultures and racial elements may give credit to Orlando Patterson’s updated Creole Society Model, where Synthetic Creolization is described as a society “in which each group, in the new setting, creates its own peculiar version of local culture” (Plummer 15).
Please click here to view a music video that illustrates tolerance and trust through the collaboration of two Trinidadian artistes and one Vincentian artiste. The song speaks about being a unified family despite differences in Race or Culture. The song is entitled, 'Famalay.'
Conclusion
In the previous posts in this blog, the question statement was analyzed critically using different sources. The aim was to determine whether the Caribbean today is characterized by grave intolerance and mistrust at all levels. We analyzed some of the different 'levels', in the sense of the different aspects of Caribbean Life.
On an Economic Level, involving the governments, it was found that there was mistrust in the past, but there were organizations put in place to ameliorate this. However, mistrust still exists at times, which must be dealt with in the court.
As it relates to Race, it was found from several sources, that there is mistrust and intolerance among the Caribbean islands, which must be looked at and dealt with.
On an Educational Level, we saw that there is tolerance and trust among the Caribbean countries, through organizations such as CXC and UWI.
Finally, the Cultural Level was looked at, where it was found that there are high levels of trust and tolerance in the Caribbean.
One can then conclude that there is intolerance and mistrust but not at all levels. The Educational and Cultural levels show contradiction.
On an Economic Level, involving the governments, it was found that there was mistrust in the past, but there were organizations put in place to ameliorate this. However, mistrust still exists at times, which must be dealt with in the court.
As it relates to Race, it was found from several sources, that there is mistrust and intolerance among the Caribbean islands, which must be looked at and dealt with.
On an Educational Level, we saw that there is tolerance and trust among the Caribbean countries, through organizations such as CXC and UWI.
Finally, the Cultural Level was looked at, where it was found that there are high levels of trust and tolerance in the Caribbean.
One can then conclude that there is intolerance and mistrust but not at all levels. The Educational and Cultural levels show contradiction.
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