Slavery and Creolization, Education and Indigenous Cultures The Caribbean Area: Slavery and Creolization, Education and Indigenous Cultures

Caribbean Disaspora Cultures What color is Friday’s skin?  Not yellow, because the aborigines were eliminated. Africans get associated with Cannibalism. 3. Can Friday speak? Does Caliban only know how to curse? Slavery  Colonial Education Creolization (in people and language) Caribbean Disaspora Cultures

Outline The Caribbean: Definitions & History of colonization Creolization: Definitions English language & of people Race Relations  Conflicts and Displacement; Caribbean Poetry and Music at a Glance: Caribbean poetry; Derek Walcott & dub poetry Popular culture: Different ways; Calypso, (Raggae & Rap) Our Course: Thematic Continuity, Geographic Expansion

Definition (1): the Caribbean –3 groups 1. the Bahamas to the North East of Cuba  the Greater Antilles the Lesser Antilles

Definition (2): the Caribbean “discovered” by Columbus in late 15th c., Spanish colonization, followed by the British, French and Dutch. “names: West Indies (Anglophone) –a misnomer (also East Indians); the Antilles (Francophone) the Caribbean as a term encompassing both Composed of immigrants only: the aboriginal communities [Amerindians-- Arawaks, Caribs, etc.] exterminated; Immigrants from Africa, Asia and Europe.

Image of the Caribbean Jan van de Straet’s engraving “America”--the new world as a woman

History of Colonization in the Caribbean Area 1492-96 -- Columbus’s “discovery” of the West Indies 16th-18th centuries --Colonial period:  also a period of wars among colonial nations and pirates, and conflicts between the white masters, black slaves and mulatto. Rebellion (1) –the Maroons e.g. Abeng – (from a West Africa); used primarily as a signaling device; served as a vital means of communication when the Maroons were at war with the British (e.g.) e.g. in Sugar Cane Alley

Ways of rebellion (2): petit marronage (小走私) in francophone islands pretend sickness, steal, or even poison their masters. with music, dance, religion (voodon), or simply their different ways of living; examples: the school children’s tales of zombies; the songs the laborers sing—at the field, after Madouze dies-- in Sugar Cane Alley; open rebellion

History of Colonization in the Caribbean Area 1808 --1838 Britain and USA abolished slave trade; complete abolition of slavery in British colonies 1845 East Indian indentured laborers in Trinidad; Chinese indenture in French colonies (e.g. Wide Sargasso Sea)

History of Colonization in the Caribbean Area 1919-1939  seen as Slums of the Empire. Negritude; Back to Africa movement (e.g. MARCUS GARVEY) Madouze’s account in SGA riots & strikes in 1935-1938 and afterwards

History of Colonization in the Caribbean Area Since the 50’s Colonization in reverse: West Indian migration to England  restrictions imposed Independence movements: 1958-62 -- The Federation of the West Indies independence  1962 -- Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago;1966  Barbados and Guyana;

American Imperialism in the Caribbean Area (Cf American Imperialism in the Caribbean Area (Cf. Bob Marley site http://www.bobmarley.com/) Economic the area becomes the tourists’ heaven and a cheap labor factory (capital, technology and management shipped to the area to use the labor power without leaving the profits there.) Cultural domination – music styles – the emergence of raggae (e.g.)

History of Colonization in the Caribbean Area Neo-Colonialism of the U.S.A. military intervention (e.g. "Caribbean Basin Initative"– bribing Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean to support the armed confrontation in Grenada and the war in El Salvador. 

Creolization (1): Dictionary Definition A. language: mixture of languages, esp. in Southern US and the Caribbean area. B. People 1). Orignal meaning: Native, local,”pure”; 2). Native-born whites; 3). Hybrid (mixed-blood)

Definition (2): Creolization in the Caribbean People -- Europeans born in the Caribbean, mulatto Language – the mixture of English and African tribal languages into some special kinds of native languages (Patois, such as French Patois, Jamaican Patois).   E e.g. Beijan: The English used in Barbados-- closest to standard English (e.g. 1); Jamaican creole, "postcreole continuum“-- parallels the social hierarchy to some degrees (--those speaking in creole are looked down upon).  Postcolonial usage of creole  dub poetry— the empire strikes back

Color System in the Caribbean Society “Dying to raise their color all of them” (199) (e.g. “Bright Thursday”) The color triangle: white brown dark

Race Relations: multiple division Post-emancipation period – conflicts between different races (e.g. the English vs. the French), between plantation owners and small farmers, between the newly rich and the declining aristocrats. Discriminated: mulatto and creole. In the contemporary Caribbean area and diaspora: the Bajan vs. the Jamaican, all against Haitian, etc.

Consequences of creolization racial conflicts; split sense of identity – in between Europe and Africa diverse and dynamic culture (Walcott on music and language)

Caribbean poetry (introd.) The people’s resistance to colonialism: some examples of Caribbean Poetry Caribbean poetry (introd.) Derek Walcott (e.g.) –combination of Western culture and creolized culture and island landscape “I happen to have been born in an English and a Creole place, and love both languages. …” “ I who am poisoned with the blood of both, Where shall I turn, divided to the vein?” "A Far Cry From Africa“ Derek Walcott, 1957

Dub poetry: forerunner of hip-hop The people’s resistance to colonialism: some examples of Caribbean Poetry Dub poetry: forerunner of hip-hop an extension of reggae culture (“new raggae”) a form of performance poetry having its roots in popular Jamaican culture, and more particularly in reggae and Rastafarianism.  The movement has served to bring poetry back to the people

Dub poetry openness to pop culture and esp. to music (reggae and calypso); appeal of public performance; acceptance of social responsibility --poetry has a “function” (poetry vs fiction as a middle-class genre) amateur poetic practice in the WI (e.g. Jamaican creole ) e.g. Edward Braithwaite,

Kamau Brathwaite “Wings of a Dove” About a Rasta Man “Brother Man the Rasta man, beard full of lichens地衣 brain full of lice watched the mice ” After smoking his pipe of his gangja, he speaks of his people in ‘Bablylon town’ “So beat dem drums dem, spread dem wings dem, watch dem fly dem, soar dem high dem, clear in the glory of the Lord. Watch dem ship dem come to town dem full o' silk dem full o' food dem an' dem 'plane dem come to groun' dem full o' flash dem full o' cash dem silk dem food dem shoe dem wine dem that dem drink dem an' consume dem praisin' the glory of the Lord.

Kamau Brathwaite “Wings of a Dove” So beat dem burn dem, learn dem that dem got dem nothin' but dem bright bright baubles that will burst dem when the flame dem from on high dem raze an' roar dem an' de poor dem rise an' rage dem in de glory of the Lord.  Bob Marley, a Rasta

Mikey Smith “Black and White” Different implications of “black” Michael Smith; Image source

“Colonization in Reverse” What a joyful news, Miss Mattie; Ah feel like me heart gwine burs-- Jamaica people colonizin Englan in reverse By de hundred, by de tousan From country an from town, By de ship-load, by the plane-load, Jamaica is Englan boun.

“Colonization in Reverse” (2) Dem a pout out a Jamaica; Everybody future plan Is fi get a big-time job An settle in de motherlan What a islan! What a people! Man an woman, ole and young Jussa pack dem bag an baggage An tun history upside dung! --Louis Bennett (e.g.)

Mutabaruka “dis poem” starts with middle passage, but extends to all kinds of racism all over the world. http://www.mutabaruka.com/lyrics.htm

Functions of a trickster—for survival and revenge The people’s resistance to colonialism: some examples of Popular Culture (1) Trickster Tradition Anancy stories (spider)—from West Africa—the experience of the Middle Passage in animal forms (42) The “Monkey Business”—the monkey as a gentleman-like animal—a symbol of the (pseudo-)colonizer—undressing unmasking the (pseudo-)colonizer Functions of a trickster—for survival and revenge

The people’s resistance to colonialism: some examples of Popular Culture Calypso: originated in the songs of African slaves who worked in the plantation fields of Trinidad. Forbidden to talk to each other, they used calypso to communicate feelings and information. e.g. Work songs in Sugar Cane Alley. e.g. "Dan is the Man".

"Dan is the Man" In education, he is taught to be “a block-headed mule” with his world filled with nonsensical nursery rimes. How about the education in the film Sugar Cane Alley?

Thematic Continuation in our course Area Cultures, race & gender colonization diaspora Indian Subcon-tinent Religions gender (purdah, sati, marriage), caste system, partition  children and education --UK. Departure --Hollywood --South Africa, the Caribbean, and to US South-Africa Apartheid, politics & power land and body, religion, gender, language,  children and education Afrikaaner, UK --Cruso/Foe  Writing vs. silence Exile & return The Carib-bean Diaspora; Creolization  language, race & gender  children & education Slavery & Contract laborers; US. “Back” to Africa or UK

The Caribbean Texts –and their Themes Sugar Cane Alley –a boy’s experience of 1930’s labor exploitation; Western education vs. local cultures; cultural identities The Wide Sargasso Sea –1830’s (abolishment of slavery)  poor creole women (girls) vs. a black girl, Tia Abeng by Michelle Cliff – another creole girl whose great grandfather, Judge Savage, burned his hundred slaves on the eve of their emancipation. Olive Senior's "Bright Thursdays" –a creole girl’s experience and fear of white culture and open space Annie John –a black girl’s growth to reject of her mother/culture. "Children of the Sea" –refugees from Haiti; two voices

The Caribbean Texts –and their Locations Sugar Cane Alley –Martinique The Wide Sargasso Sea –(Martinique), Dominique, Jamaica Abeng by Michelle Cliff -- Jamaica) Olive Senior's "Bright Thursdays" Annie John "Children of the Sea"

The Caribbean area and the Caribbean diaspora Canada The U.S. “Children of the Sea”; Fugees Annie John M. Cliff, B. Marley Wide Sargasso Sea Sugar Cane Alley Derek Walcott England France India

References The Evolution of Afro-Caribbean Music <http://www.cariwave.com/Evolution_Afro_Caribbean_Music.htm> Caribbean Poetry: Barbados <http://www.courses.vcu.edu/ENG-snh/Caribbean/Barbados/index.html >