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IMPACT OF EXTRA-REGIONAL COUNTRIES ON THE CARIBBEAN Historically, the relationship of the Caribbean to metropolitan countries has been one

of dependency. In the colonial era, European attitudes, ways of life, arts and value system dominated. While Euro-centric attitudes and values were imposed they created the conditions for their continued hegemony in post-colonial societies. Caribbean society and culture show an orientation towards the metropole and its impact is perpetuated in: 1. Consumption patterns Most of the goods and services consumed in the Caribbean are produced in N. America, especially the US, and to a lesser extent Britain (for English-speaking countries) In postindependent Caribbean the desire for what is foreign is supported by a number of factors: (a) the belief that foreign is better than local (in respect of quality, price, taste, etc) (b) the concept of modern is best exemplified by Western music, styles, personalities, etc. and therefore such association was most desirable. that a positive self-image, particularly for youth, is conferred by the possession of designer wear and accessories for which there is no alternative in the Caribbean. (d) the widely held view that the US is the destination of choice and only place worth . seeing for a vacation. 2. Creative Expressions The various ways Caribbean people express themselves in festivals, music, theatre arts, etc, reflect their own creations as well as influences from abroad. US penetration of the region means that its influence is expanding through the access of particularly the youth to its music fashions and festivals. i. Festivals: Some of the well-established Christian and secular festivals that are observed in the Caribbean Christmas, Easter, Fathers and Mothers Day, Valentines, etc- are extra-regional in origin. They are celebrated in the same fashion and characterized by the same extent of commercialism as in developed societies. It is the commercial aspect of the celebrations that marks the degree of Western influence. Carnival though not indigenous had been made synonymous with the Caribbean. In recent times it too has begun to cater to foreign tastes in a number of ways including: The sidelining of calypso with it social commentary in favour of the more catchy soca. The use of computer programmes to help create images of costumes The production of videos, DVDs, etc. ii.Theatre arts: Theatre arts include drama, dance and stagecraft, as well as, traditional dances, folk singing and story telling. In colonial times Caribbean theatre arts were relegated to the village communities while the high culture of the British was given preeminence. The development of theatre arts since independence reflects the influence of extra-regional countries in respect of: divisions as to the appropriate language i.e. patios/dialect versus Standard English, to convey the arts

many of the themes in presentations mirrored the relationship of the Caribbean to extra regional countries issues of identity, race, colour and class, etc. the migration of many artistes to receive greater appreciation and rewards for their talents, e.g V.S.Niapal, Dereck Walcott, Jamaica Kincaid.

3. Migratory labour From the middle of the 1950s migration to N. America and Europe was severely curtailed as developed countries sought to protect their economies from unregulated immigration. However in the 1980s, on the recognition of the ageing of these societies, formal arrangements were made to recruit skilled professionals- teacher, nurses. Opportunities were also available for semi-skilled and unskilled labour in sectors not favoured by citizens, such as agricultural and domestic work and child care. While these occupations are more beneficial to workers vis--vis similar work in the Caribbean and the remittances significant to Gross National Product of Caribbean countries the programmes sustainability is decided by the host countries. Any time they are curtailed, suspended or discontinued, severe dislocations in the sending countries is the result. 4. Tourism Caribbean tourism depends almost entirely for its survival on visitors from Europe and N. America. Economic downturns in the source markets have a negative impact on the local product. All variants of tourism- adventure, cruise, eco-tourism- are developed on tourists demands. Furthermore, the tourism infra-structure- large hotels, travel agencies, etc, are owned and/or managed in large part by expatriates. 5. Mass media The cultural imperialism thesis attempts to explain the impact of Western mass media in Caribbean society and culture. The thesis purports that the cultural products exported to developing countries by the foreign mass media are adopted at the expense of native culture. Television has the most powerful of foreign influence in the Caribbean. Some 75% of TV programming in the English speaking-Caribbean originate outside the region, primarily in the US. Foreign influence come in the form of: music and lifestyle fundamentalist religious programming soap and sitcoms the packaging and reporting of news the over-abundance of US views news and perspectives.

CARIBBEAN INFLUENCES ON EXTRA-REGIONAL COUNTRIES

The influence of the society and culture of the Caribbean on extra-regional countries has been identified in a number of areas: politics, economics and culture Political Influence The most organized group of Caribbean nationals in the US are the Cubans and they have had significant influence on US politics because of their number and economic power. They represent a major voting bloc in South Florida. They have been credited with: forcing lawmakers to maintain and strengthen the trade embargo against Cuba (key legislation the Helms-Burtons Act 1996) the creation of Radio Marti, with the expressed intention to undermine the communist system in Cuba through the flow of information. The political impact of Haitians is limited largely because they are divided along class lines. In Miami, Haitians act as a voting bloc. The Haitian Refugee Center has used the issue of the boatpeople to mobilize the Haitian community and to bring a number of legal actions against the US government. The increased flow of migrants and the extent of narco-trafficking to N. America and Europe from the Caribbean have resulted in the enactment of more stringent immigration and surveillance measures such as: 1. a reversal of a decades old policy on the repatriation of Cuban asylum seekers. 2. increased cost to obtain visas or imposing visa requirement on some Caribbean countries (countries that enjoy Canadas visa waiver are Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, St. Kitts and Nevis, Barbados and The Bahamas). 3. deportation to home countries of aliens convicted of crimes. 4. the Shiprider Agreement that allows the US Coastguard to pursue suspected drug traffickers in Caribbean waters. 5. intelligence sharing and the splitting of proceeds from successful indictment of drug traffickers. Economic Influence The Caribbean depends heavily on extra-regional countries particularly the US for its economic survival. Nevertheless, it has positively influenced the larger economies in areas such as: trade: the Caribbean is the 10th largest importer of US goods and services and created thousands of jobs in export businesses (Mohammed 2007). festivals: thousands of jobs and millions of dollar and pounds in revenues are generated from the Caribbean-derived Nottinghill Carnival in London and Canadas Caribana. labour: there are formal government to government arrangements under which Caribbean nationals provide service in the agricultural and domestic work sectors

Cultural Influence Caribbean cultural forms and expressions have penetrated international markets and gained acceptance. The impact of Caribbean music largely reggae and to some extent soca, is felt mainly in the urban centers of large cities such as New York and London. Reggae has been used to: market Levi jeans (Boombastic) create an online course The Rhetoric of Reggae at the University of Vermont. Reggae has been the vehicle that transported Rastafari beliefs and lifestyle to the wider world. Rastafari communities and reggae are to be found on every continent. The steel-pan was also transported to developed countries with the migrants. Currently, in N.America steel-band music is part of the curriculum, while the tuning of pan is a growing skill that has the potential to contribute to the economic development of this region. One association, Pan European, is assuming the responsibility for creating a network to promote the development of pan in Europe. The steel-pan is also incorporated into forms of music like rap. Caribbean cuisine competes with those of other ethnic groups in the urban centers in metropolitan countries. While companies like Golden Crust and Caribbean Food Delight have become big business in the US, Caribbean food caters mainly to the taste of Caribbean populations but remains a specialty to native populations particularly those who have visited the Caribbean or who have close association with Caribbean nationals. References: Hillman & DAgostino. Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean. Mohammed, Jeneffer. CAPE Caribbean Studies. Reid, Ruel. Caribbean Studies Modules I-III. Sunshine, Catherine, The Caribbean: Struggle, Survival and Sovereignty.

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