The term Caribbean culture summarizes the artistic, musical, literary, culinary, political and social elements that are representative of Caribbean people all over the world, influenced by waves of migration.

History

The two ethnic cultures which are dominant in the music cultures of the English speaking Caribbean

Caribbean culture results from Caribbean history and geography. Most of the Caribbean territories were inhabited and developed earlier than European colonies (1492- ) in the Americas, with the result that themes and symbols of pioneers, farmers, traders and slaves became important in the early development of Caribbean culture. British conquests in the Caribbean in 1759 brought a Francophone population under British rule, requiring compromise and accommodation, while in the 1780s the migration of United Empire Loyalists from the Thirteen ColoniesFor example: brought in strong British, Spanish, French, African and even Dutch influences.

Although not without conflict, the Caribbean's early interactions between incoming settlers and the indigenous populations were relatively short-lived, compared to the experience of native peoples in (say) the United States or Brazil. Combined with relatively late economic development in many regions, this difficult history has disallowed Caribbean native peoples from having any strong influence on emergent national cultures, even destroying their remaining identity.Compare for example:

Multicultural heritage is enshrined in many islands. In parts of the Caribbean, multiculturalism itself is the cultural norm and diversity is the force that unites the community. Although officially a quarter of the Caribbean population is English-speaking, the largest linguistic group comprises Spanish speakers (due to the inclusion of mainland Caribbean states), some 22% speak French while only 1% speak Dutch. Though the Caribbean today features 59 living languagesPaul, L. M. (ed.), Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th edn, Dallas, Texas (2009). these are not spoken in the "insular Caribbean", but on what is referred to as the "continental Caribbean".

In the French islands, cultural identity is strong, and many French-speaking islanders commentators speak of a French culture as distinguished from English Caribbean culture, but some also see the Caribbean as a collection of several regional, and ethnic subcultures.

While French Caribbean culture is the most obvious example, Spanish influences have allowed the survival of non-English dialects. The influence of Ulster immigrants to Barbados had the effect of minimizing Irish influences in the Caribbean's culture, and highlighting British influences instead, until the 1980s. The Caribbean's Pacific trade has also brought a large Chinese influence into Trinidad and other areas.Aceto, Michael, and Jeffrey P. Williams (eds), Contact Englishes of the Eastern Caribbean, Varieties of English around the World, Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 2003.Solomon, Denis, The Speech of Trinidad: A Reference Grammar, St. Augustine: School of Continuing Studies, University of the West Indies (1993).Corne, C., From French to Creole: The Development of New Vernaculars in the French Colonial World, London: University of Westminster Press (1999).McWhorter, J. H., The Missing Spanish Creoles: Recovering the Birth of Plantation Contact, Los Angeles: University of California Press (2000).Allsopp, R., Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, with a French and Spanish Supplement, Oxford: Oxford University Press (1996). The East Indians brought to Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, and other parts of the Caribbean indentured laborers to work on the sugarcane, rice, and cocoa estates brought with them the many languages of India and developed a lingua franca: Caribbean Hindustani.

Caribbean identity

Major influences on Caribbean identity trace back to the arrival of French settlers (from the early-17th century), English settlers (from the early-17th century) and Spanish settlers (from the late-15th century). Indigenous people played a critical part in the development of European colonies in Caribbean: they assisted in European exploration, in the development of the sugar trade and in inter-European power struggles, as well as contributing to the formation of the Afro-Caribbean people. Through their art and culture, indigenous Caribbean and African descendants continue to exert influence on the Caribbean identity or identities.

Along with the gradual loosening of the Caribbean's political and cultural ties to colonial metropoles, in the 20th century immigrants from European, African, Caribbean and Asian nationalities have shaped Caribbean identity, a process that continues today with the arrival of significant numbers of immigrants from non-British or non-French backgrounds, adding to multiculturalism. the Caribbean had a diverse makeup of nationalities and cultures and constitutional protection for policies that promote multiculturalism - rather than any single national myth.

Symbols Official symbols of the Caribbean include the parrot, palm, and the shell. Many official symbols of the country such as the flags of the Caribbean have been changed or modified over the past years in order to "Caribbeanize" them and de-emphasize or remove references to the United Kingdom. For example, The Cayman Islands now uses National Symbols that include their indigenous Parrot, Silver Thatch, Palm and the Wild Banana Orchid.

Arts

The works of most early Caribbean painters followed European trends. During the mid-1800s, Caribbean painters have developed a wide range of highly individual styles. The arts have flourished in Caribbean since the 1900s, and especially since the end of World War II in 1945.

The Washington Organizations of American States (inaugurated in 1976) houses one of the oldest 20th-century art collections representing the Caribbean. For example, one exhibit showcased works included two important pieces by women artists of the Caribbean: El vendedor de andullo (Tobacco Vendor), 1938, by modernist Celeste Woss y Gil of the Dominican Republic, and an oil painting entitled Marpacífico (Hibiscus-Marpacífico is the name used in Cuba for the hibiscus flower), 1943, by Cuban modernist Amelia Peláez. There have even been a rare selection of prints by Haitian artists such as Castera Bazile, Wilson Bigaud, Dieudonné Cedor, Jacques-Enguerrand Gourgue and Gabriel Lévêque, that have not been exhibited since they were part of a traveling exhibition in 1948.

Literature

Caribbean literature, whether written in English, French, Spanish, or a creole language, often reflects a Caribbean perspective on nature, life, and the region's position in the world. Caribbean identity is closely tied to its literature. Caribbean literature is often categorized by region or island; by the status of the author (e.g., literature of Caribbean women, Europeans, Asian peoples, and Irish Caribbeans); and by literary period, such as "Caribbean postmodern" or "Caribbean Poets Between the Wars". The East Indians have preserved their Indian literature and brought religious Hindu texts such as the Itihasa (Ramayana, Mahabharta, Bhagavad Gita), Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, Tirumurai, Naalayira Divya Prabhandham, Shastras, Sutras. The Sikhs also brought their Guru Granth Sahib with them. The Muslims also brought their Quran with them.

Caribbean authors have won numerous awards. Mark McWatt won Best First Book Award (2006) and Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Suspended Sentences: Fictions of Atonement. Sir V. S. Naipaul won the Man Booker Prize (1971), the Trinity Cross of Trinidad and Tobago, and the Nobel Prize in Literature (2001). Derek Walcott also won the Nobel Prize (1992).

A selection of poetry and fiction produced in the Caribbean during the 19th and 20th centuries and be searched at .Arnold, J. A. (ed.), A History of Literature in the Caribbean vol. I & II, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publ. Co. (2001).Fenwick, M. J., Writers of the Caribbean and Central American vol. I & II, London: Garland Publ. (1992).Lanham, M. G., Caribbean Literature: A bibliography, London: Scarecrow Press (1998).Dance, D. C., Fifty Caribbean Writers, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (1986).Allan, E., Anglophone Caribbean Poetry, 1970-2001: an annotated bibliography, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (2002).Airia, Cesar, Diccionáirio de Autores Latinoamericanos, Buenos Aires: Emece (2001).

The Caribbean Literature Day is celebrated annually on July 12, in the Caribbean region, across all language zones, and by Caribbean literature lovers worldwide.

Carnival

The annual celebration of carnival is an important part of Caribbean culture. Traditionally, most Caribbean islands celebrate carnival on Ash Wednesday or the days leading up to Lent. Barbados celebrates the delivery of the last Sugar Canes called 'Crop Over' better known as the 'Sweetest Summer Festival' which is held in August.

Music

The music of the Caribbean reflects the multi-cultural influences that have shaped the Caribbean and these are mainly African. The first historical figures to influence Caribbean musicians were from the South Americas and to some degree Africa. Nevertheless, the Caribbean's first peoples, the East Indias, the Chinese, the Arabs, the Jews, the Spanish, the French, the British, the Portuguese, the Danish, the Dutch, Germans, and the Italians have all made large contributions to the musical heritage of the Caribbean as well. Since Italian explorer Columbus arrived and established the permanent colonies, the islands have produced their own composers, musicians and ensembles. From the 17th century onwards, the Caribbean has developed a music infrastructure that includes church halls, performing arts centers, record companies, radio stations and television music video channels. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between the two regions.

The Caribbean has produced a variety of internationally successful performers and artists. These individuals are honoured at The Awards, recognizing Caribbean achievement in popular music. In addition, the Caribbean is home to a number of popular summertime folk festivals. The Caribbean has also produced many notable composers, who have contributed in a variety of ways to the history of Western classical music.

The Caribbean is home to the Indo-Caribbean musical form of Chutney. It was created in Trinidad and Tobago by Sundar Popo. The Caribbean is also home to the Indo-Caribbean musical form of Baithak Gana that originated in Suriname.

There are the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence (ANSCAFE) launched in October 2005 to awards in the Arts (and other areas). Up to 2010, they were made biennially, but as of 2011, the awards will be made yearly in ceremonies in Trinidad. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham (late President of Guyana) facilitated the first Caribbean Festival of the Arts (CARIFESTA) in 1972 in Georgetown, Guyana.

Caribbean theatre