The Culture of the Caribbean

The Culture of the Caribbean

Organized by Sydney Persad, Sarah Nandlal and Azzahra Mohammed

INDEX

01

Cultural definitions

02

Cultural Festivals in Trinidad and Tobago

03

Cultural Promotion in Organizations

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

04

Culture from Colonialism days

05

Cultural Importance to tourism in Trinidad and Tobago

Culture

CULTURE

Cultural Erasure

Cultural Erasure is the gradual removal of various traditions and customs from society. The process of cultural erasure is gradual as these practices generally make a slow but noticeable transition from a state of prominence to a rarity in everyday life.

Cultural Assimilation

CARIBBEAN

Cultural assimilation is the process of adopting culture through cross-cultural interactions and globalization. Assimilation means absorbing new things into a system. Cultural assimilation occurs when members of one cultural group adopt the language, practices and beliefs of another group.

Culture

Cultural Renewal

Culture is the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society. It is an umbrella term that includes the institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the individuals' knowledge, beliefs, laws, capabilities, and habits. Culture includes language, codes, tools, techniques, works of art, rituals, and ceremonies, among other elements.

The concept of "returning to my roots" is central to cultural renewal. This process refers to traditions and customs that have been forgotten or neglected but have been rediscovered as a result of a renewed interest in said traditions.

Cultural Diversity

Cultural diversity is the existence of a variety of cultural or ethnic groups within a society. It is also known as multiculturalism and is a quality of many different cultures. A system that recognizes and respects the existence and presence of diverse groups of people within a society is known as cultural diversity. For example, Trinidad and Tobago and more so the Caribbean, consists of a society of people of various ethnicities and races. Thier practices, beliefs and knowledge differ from eachother.

IMPORTANT CULTURAL FESTIVALS IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

First People’s Celebration

The week leading up to October 14th has been used to highlight the history and culture of Trinidad and Tobago's indigenous people. Originally known as Amerindians, the first people to settle in Trinidad and Tobago are now known as the First Peoples. They celebrate "Heritage Week" with a series of events in Arima, Port of Spain, and other community areas. People from other indigenous tribes around the world, as well as religious bodies and the general public, are invited to participate in sacred rituals such as the Smoke Ceremony and the Water Ritual.

IMPORTANT CULTURAL FESTIVALS IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Tobago Heritage Festival

The Tobago Heritage Festival is an annual event held to preserve Tobago's unique cultural traditions. The Festival is by far the most important event on Tobago's cultural calendar. It lasts from mid-July to the beginning of August and draws thousands of people to celebrate as a community. Throughout the Festival, visitors and returning Tobagonians can experience the many delightful and friendly villages' way of life, language and varied oral traditions, culture, dances, music, environment, and, of course, culinary delights.

IMPORTANT CULTURAL FESTIVALS IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Carnival

The Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is an annual event held on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday in Trinidad and Tobago. This event is well known for participants' colorful costumes and exuberant celebrations. Carnival is the most immersive cultural experience in the Caribbean. Visitors to the mega festival enjoy a multi-sensory experience that includes, beautiful costumes and designs, soca music, steelpan which was invented in Trinidad, energy, dance, performance and food. It is truly the greatest show on Earth. Refer to slides 12 and13 to know more about the history of Carnival.

IMPORTANT CULTURAL FESTIVALS IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Emanciaption Day

In Trinidad and Tobago, Emancipation Day is a major national holiday. The observance was declared a national holiday in 1985 and is celebrated annually on August 1st. This date commemorates the liberation of enslaved Africans throughout the British Empire from the bonds of slavery. After slavery was abolished in 1838, each year marked the anniversary of emancipation. Africans avoided work in order to participate in celebrations such as processions, church services, and fetes with drumming and dancing. Trinidad and Tobago made history by declaring a national holiday to commemorate the abolition of African enslavement.

IMPORTANT CULTURAL FESTIVALS IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

The Caribbean Festival of Arts

The Caribbean Festival of Arts, or CARIFESTA, is an annual festival that promotes Caribbean arts, with a different country hosting the event each year. It was founded to "depict the life of the people of the Region, their heroes, morals, myths, traditions, beliefs, creativity, and ways of expression" with the goal of fostering a sense of Caribbean unity and motivating artists by showcasing the best of their home country. CARIFESTA was last hosted by Trinidad and Tobago in 2006.

Additional

"Life is ah party" except Caribbeans take it literally.

Organizations in Trinidad & Tobago that promote culture

3. Goals

The Caribbean Community

The University of the West Indies

The Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) was established by the Treaty of Chaguaramas, which was signed by Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago and came into effect on August 1, 1973. It promotes cooperation and integration between member states, especially in areas like trade and transportation. It also coordinates foreign policy. People can move around freely to study and to look for work, and goods and services can be traded. CARICOM also promotes culture since Carifesta stemmed from it. Various CARICOM countries haved hosted Carifesta. CARIFESTA was introduced to celebrate the arts, foster a vision of Caribbean unity and to positively advance Caribbean culture regionally and internationally, and to strengthen Caribbean integration and the bonds between the islands. CARICOM's contribution to the promotion of culture is important since they created Carifesta. Without CARICOM and Carifesta, the Caribbean would have no integration amongst themselves, along with no cultural identity as a Caribbean family.

The University of the West Indies provides higher education programs in cultural studies and theater arts that aid in the promotion and education of Caribbean culture. Theatre arts at UWI fosters the knowledge about Caribbean drama and how exactly it links with the culture of the Caribbean. UWI's mission in cultural studies is

• to study and document the historical range and diversity of Caribbean peoples and cultures
• to promote the study of identity as defined by cultural history
• to investigate the relationships between Caribbean culture and the region's social and political developments

UWI's contribution to the promotion of culture is important since they preserve the culture and educate younger generations about the culture of the Caribbean, thus, keeping cultural norms and mores alive.

Organizations in Trinidad & Tobago that promote culture

3. Goals

National Drama Association of Trinidad and Tobago

The Trinidad and Tobago museums

The National Drama Association of Trinidad and Tobago is a group of professional and amateur theatre artists dedicated to the growth of the theatre industry in Trinidad and Tobago. Alike UWI's theatre arts program, the National Drama Association of Trinidad fosters the knowledge about Caribbean drama and how exactly it links with the culture of the Caribbean. The National Drama Association of Trinidad and Tobago's contribution to the promotion of culture is important since they produce plays and theatre performances based on Trinidad and Tobago's and the Caribbean's culture. This preserves the culture and norms and mores of the Caribbean and provides citizens with a sense of security knowing that their way of life would always be around and that it would be passed on to further generations.

The National Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad and Tobago is home to an impressive collection of around 10,000 pieces of historical art. Those historical pieces may carry with it the aspects of the Trinbagonion and Caribbean culture. For example, Artist Dermot Louison captured and documented a way of life of the people in Tinidad and Tobago through a very unique painting style. His many work of arts are hung up in the museums of Trinidad and Tobago. The Central Bank Museum holds two of his pieces. He felt a strong connection to his country and chose to represent aspects of his environment and culture in his paintings. The Chaguaramas Military History & Aerospace Museum was formed in 1991. Outside you will find many various pieces of equipment including real tanks, helicopters, anti aircraft guns, and more, but the highlight is an abandoned 747 that has been striped out. This museum displays aspects of Trinidad and Tobago's history along with military and warfare artifacts. Both museums' contributions to the promotion of culture is important since they preserve the culture and educate younger generations about the history and culture of the Caribbean, thus, keeping cultural norms and mores alive. They also have a lot of real pieces to display and attract tourist, benefiting the country's economy.

Aspects of Trinidad & Tobago that has been retained from the days of colonialism

East Indian Culture

Following the abolition of slavery in 1834, the British brought in thousands of indentured workers, mostly from India, to labour in the cane fields of Trinidad. When the Indians came to Trinidad and Tobago, they brought with them their culture and their way of life. On May 30th 1845, the Indians arrived in Trinidad on the ship Fatel Razack. This day is now a public holiday for all Trinbagonians. The East Indians transported Hinduism to Trinidad, their religious festival Diwali, delicacies such as roti, saheena, katchowrie, pholourie, barfi and parsad, their clothing and their music - tassa. Most if not all of their cultural traditions were passed on to further generations and still remains in Trinidad and Tobago till this day.

Aspects of Trinidad & Tobago that has been retained from the days of colonialism

Carnival Culture - History

Trinidad Carnival or the 'Greatest Show on Earth' originated in the 18th century, with the arrival of French Catholic planters - both white and free colored - their slaves, and free Blacks in the 1780s. Both groups staged elaborate masquerade balls at Christmas and as a "farewell to the flesh" before the Catholic Lenten season, with each group mimicking the other in masking and entertainment. Meanwhile, enslaved West Africans had their own masking traditions and processions known as Canboulay, which included festivities centered on the burning and harvesting of sugar cane. Masks and mimicry were an important part of the ritual for each group. Canboulay became a symbol of freedom following the emancipation of the enslaved in 1838. In response, the British colonial government outlawed Carnival activities. After battles with the British colonial government, the festival eventually settled on the Monday and Tuesday before Lent and became a symbol of Trinidadian culture during the independence movement.

Aspects of Trinidad & Tobago that has been retained from the days of colonialism

Carnival Culture - Today

Traditional carnival characters have faded quickly, replaced by the beads and feathers of Brazilian-style costumes. Carnival is well-known for its colorful costumes and rowdy celebrations. Numerous cultural events, such as "band launch fetes," take place in the days leading up to the street parade on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Masqueraders parade the streets and eventually walk the big stage. Soca Monarch, a soca competition, is held on Fantastic Friday, the Friday before Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Road March is another competition that soca artiste also participate in for Carnival. J'Ouvert also applies to the Canboulay re-enactment that takes place in the early hours of each Carnival Monday morning in Port of Spain. It is a mud mass that basically incorperates gyrating on other people.

It is half-five, six in the morning, and the colour of dawn coming through, and all these people all paint up in different colours, a riddim going and all of a sudden you feel this sense of suspension. You see all these people, all these people are your community and you realise, you feel a strong sense of love and you realise that what you are really doing is renewing a vow to love these people for the year coming.

Aspects of Trinidad & Tobago that has been retained from the days of colonialism

Cultural diversity

Trinidad and Tobago is famous for its racial and cultural diversity, which means that people from many different backgrounds make up the population. The origins of this can be traced back to the colonial era, with the arrival of the African slaves, and then later indentureship and inter-island migration. As a result, Trinidad and Tobago has a large number of different languages and cultural traditions that come from countries all over the world. For example

• Religion - practices that can be recognised in Obeah, voodoo and Shango.
• Language - the Caribbean invented a common language. This led to the emergence of patois (a mixture of African, French, English and Spanish dialects).
• Food - yam, cocoa, asham, fufu.
• Music - Congo talking drum, abeng, xylophone, bamboo fife.

Aspects of Trinidad & Tobago that has been retained from the days of colonialism

Fort Abercromby

Built by the British in 1804 as part of the fortification of Trinidad that included Fort George and North Post. The British were concerned however about attacks from the French and knew all too well that Las Cuevas Bay made a good place for landing ships as they had landed there in 1750 when Trinidad was still in Spanish hands. The British also intended that Fort Abercromby would be a place of last defense in case they lost Port of Spain, retreating with their forces through St Joseph and over the mountains to Las Cuevas. Fort Abercromby's ruins are located to the north of Las Cuevas Bay, overlooking a beautiful bay. Fort Abercromby is now only two lone canons marking the headland, but it is still a place of interest due to its historical significance and fantastic ocean views. A stairway leads to a lookout point with a more scenic view of the ocean and surrounding area. The deep, clear pool beneath the fort is a popular spot for fishing and snorkeling.

Aspects of Trinidad & Tobago that has been retained from the days of colonialism

Parang

Parang has a history that dates from the late eighteenth century when cocoa farmers from nearby Venezuela were brought over to develop plantations in Trinidad and Tobago. These Spanish-speaking farmers settled in communities like Lopinot, Arima, Santa Cruz, and Moruga. Parang is a style of music that is synonymous with the Christmas season in Trinidad and Tobago. This folk form evolved over time to incorporate singing from house to house and large corporate stages. Competitions and festivals highlight the parang music and create traditions that are part of this Trini Christmas.

Machel Montano

Why is culture important to tourism in Trinidad and Tobago?

Culture is important to tourism in Trinidad and Tobago since it generates income for the country and creates jobs. About 38,000 people travel to Trinidad for Carnival each year. This generates income for the country through flight expenses, sales, hotels, tours, visiting places of interest , museums etc. If a country has a profitable tourist industry, many companies and businesses will want to invest there. When this occurs, more jobs are created - which helps with the problem of unemployment and more wealth is produced for the country. Trinidad and Tobago remains relatively underdeveloped although tourism employs 16.7% of the population.When tourists visit Trinidad and Tobago, there is a demand for workers at hotel, restaurants, bars, tour guide companies, shops and entertainment facilities. This helps to tackle the high unemployment rates in the country. Museums incorperate culture in their displays. When tourists visit the museums in Trinidad and Tobago, they might feel fascinated by all the new things they are learning about the twin islands. They might further go back to their country and spread awareness to their people, resulting in more persons visting Trinidad and Tobago.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Thank you!