Afro Carribean Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Afro Carribean Culture - Essay Example Caribbean culture consists of the social, political, and literary elements that are representative of the region’s population as well as its influence around the world. The culture has been historically influenced by culture from Europe, with particular influences from Spain, England, and France. The federal governments of the Caribbean have also heavily influenced the culture with institutions, laws, and programs. The Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation was created to promote, via the media, the culture of the Caribbean. The region’s history is a product of their geography, history, and political systems. As a settler nation’s collection, the region’s culture has been subject to shaping by migration waves that have combined to form a unique culture. This paper aims to discuss the forces that are shaping its culture today, as well as the older influences that are still at play to date. It also seeks to discuss the process of syncretism and how it has been m anifested in the culture of the Caribbean. Finally, it will give a detailed review of â€Å"When I was Puerto Rican† by Santiago. The Forces Shaping Caribbean Culture Today Having provided a key resource in wealth generation during the sugar islands era, and acting as a bridge between the new world and Europe during the new world’s colonisation, the region has for the last century or so been under the influence of the United States. This is because the US has been the omnipresent military and economic power of the twentieth century (Scher 11). While the influence may be decisive and ever-present, the Caribbean is not reduced to the status of a US dominion. Except Cuba, events occurring over the last decade or so have pointed to the constant initiative occurrence that is pursued in the common interest across the region. Self-assertiveness of every Caribbean entity, the central role-played by the US, and attempts to reach cooperative outcomes shaped by the various geomet ries involved are at play in this pursuit. The Caribbean position is constantly reformulated by various factors. These are: histories inherent in each entity, relations with their former colonial masters, present links to the EU, residual presence of a number of European states, shared resonance with Central and South American countries, recent influence wielded by countries from Asia, and changes in the global economy especially production of energy (Scher 11). These factors may relate with the individual society’s economic health as well as their current position in the creation of wealth, political alignments in the current world, degree of regional cooperation, cultural identity, and international exchange. The relationship between the Caribbean and the United States has been a longstanding one and has stretched in to the present times. The influence is extended to include social, economic and military contexts. Economically, the United States is a vital market for Caribb ean exports. The Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act has cemented relations between the two regions in the twenty first century (Scher 13). This basin is of strategic interest for the United States, especially as it is a vital route of trade. Over 50% of US, imports are transported through this seaway. The foreign policy of the Caribbean also aims to cement its participatory role in the global economy. Because of this, the wish not to be excluded from its US primary market or be shunted past in the formation of global trading blocks has seen the United States play a vital and influential role in the shaping of the region’s hemispheric market. Building and strengthening of relations between the US and the Caribbean has also seen the US figuring prominently in the shaping of