The contemporary Caribbean society is comprised of various forms of culture and

ethnic backgrounds. The main influential force behind this cultural diversification is due
to slavery and Indentureship. Slavery is defined as a system under which people are
treated as property and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from
the time of their capture, purchase or birth and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse
to work, or to demand compensation. The chattel slavery system enslaved many
Africans to work on the plantation systems in the Caribbean. On the other hand, after
the abolishment of slavery, a new source of labour supply was needed, thus, the
Europeans used indentured labourers to work on the sugar plantations these labourers
such as the East Indians were offered wages in exchange for their labour. Unlike the
Africans, they were allowed to openly practice their culture and religion. Nevertheless,
many other ethnic groups were used as Indentured labourers before the East Indians.
For instance, Whites and Chinese were exploited before the East Indians. Moreover,
due to the notorious enslavement of Africans and the Indentureship of various ethnic
groups, the Caribbean culture and societies experienced several major effects.

First of all, slavery has been of utmost significance in shaping Caribbean societies
and culture. For example, the African culture or way of life was diffused in the
Caribbean. Religious rituals and customs that were introduced by the Africans are
widely practiced in the Caribbean today, such as Voodoo, Obeah, Shango and
Pocomania. Moreover, the African presence in the Caribbean significantly impacted on
the cuisine, fashion, music, dance, language, the family and cultural festivities. The
common-law family type was introduced by the Africans because they were not allowed
to marry or court .Thus, in today’s Caribbean society, many individuals are involved in
the common-law family households where the couples live together as husband and
wife but are not legally married. In addition, the forced migration of the African slaves
had major effects on the social strata in the Caribbean. The social strata can be defined
as the social tiers in society which is in the form of a pyramid with a broad base and a
narrow peak. The narrow peak represents the upper class which is comprised of the
wealthy white individuals in society and the broad base represents the lower class
which is comprised of the blacks and other ethnic minority groups. However, the
majority of persons living in poverty continue to be of African and East Indian descent.

On the other hand, the Indentured labourers also significantly impacted or had
major effects on Caribbean societies. For example, they had a major influence on the
foods, music, dance, fashion, religion and the family in the Caribbean. The major
religion that was practiced by the East Indians was Hinduism which is widely practiced
in many Caribbean territories. The extended family however, was influenced by the East
Indians due to their close-knit society. Additionally, due to the Africans and the
Indentured labourers, the sugar cane plantations continue to dominate the agricultural
landscape in Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad.

In conclusion, it is acknowledged that slavery and Indentured labourers

significantly impacted or major effects on Caribbean societies and culture.
 In the Caribbean, the natural structures of the coral reefs are faced with many
severe dangers which are caused naturally and by human activities. Coral reefs
however, are living communities. Coral polyps are tiny marine creatures that secrete a
calcium carbonate or limestone shell around their bodies, which remains when they die.
The long shells become cemented together to form the physical structure of the reef on
top of which the live Coral polyps grow. The coral reefs are significantly beneficial to the
Caribbean region, thus, certain strict measures should be implemented to minimize or
reduce the dangers posed to the coral reefs.

The coral reef structure provides protection to plant and aquatic life. Waves
break on the reef ensuring that a calm lagoon or stretch of sea occurs between the reef
and the coastline. Coral reefs are therefore, ecosystems that support an immense
variety of life and also have great potential to produce new medicine for mankind. The
coral reef is important to the Caribbean regions with regards to the tourism industry.
Thus, these reefs should be protected from human threats. First of all, Caribbean
countries can immediately create marine reserves which are places in the ocean that
are completely protected from uses that remove animals and plants or alter their
habitats. These reserves are off limits to fishing activities because destructive fishing
methods physically destroy the reef when explosives are used to kill fish. This form of
fishing which is referred to as blast fishing succeeds in killing the corals and other
species. Thus, the creation of marine reserves in the Caribbean countries can
considerably minimize the dangers that threaten the coast coral reefs in the region.

Moreover, another conservation method which can be implemented to curtail the

dangers posed to coral reefs is to promote the awareness and the importance of coral
reefs to the Caribbean region. The Governmental authorites can actively encourage the
participation of citizens, non-governmental organizations and institutions to assist in the
conservation of coral reefs in the Caribbean.

Finally, the Governmental authorities can encourage the citizens of their country
to report illegal activities on coral reef eco-systems such as marine pollution and the
malicious destruction of the coral reef system. Thus, the legal authorities can effectively
and efficiently deal with the perpetrators which can in turn contribute to the reduction
in the dangers faced by the coral reefs.

In conclusion, by creating marine reserves, promoting the awareness and

importance of coral reefs to the Caribbean region and the Governmental authorities
encouraging citizens to report illegal marine activities that can destroy coral reefs may
extensively and fundamentally diminish the threats faced by the coral reefs.