Winter in 2013 Part 3

The Caribbeans

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The Caribbean is one of the greatest regions of the Western Hemisphere and the world. It is made up of numerous cultures and social dispositions. Its history fully is consisted of triumphs, tribulations, and other controversies. The history begins with the Native Americans. In about 4,500 B.C., there was the Casirmoid culture in Cuba and Hispaniola. There were human beings that used ceramic devices and other advances in civilization in the ancient Caribbean surroundings. There were humans in the Lesser Antilles from 2,000 B.C. in Antigua. In eastern Trinidad, there was the Saladoid culture between 400 B.C. and 200 B.C. The main Native American indigenous peoples in the Caribbean islands were the Taino in the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, and the Leeward Islands. There were the Island Caribs and the Gallibi in the Windward Islands. There was the Ciboney in western Cuba. All of these people were in the Caribbean around the time Europeans first came into the territory. The Taínos are subdivided into Classic Taínos, who occupied Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, Western Taínos, who occupied Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamian archipelago, and the Eastern Taínos, who occupied the Leeward Islands. Trinidad was lived by both Carib speaking and Arawak speaking groups. One of the most evil periods in human history was when Europeans colonized the Americas including the Caribbean. One of the first Europeans to do so were the Spanish and the Portuguese. Christopher Columbus and other explorers came into the region. They sought wealth and power, but many of these explorers caused the genocide of the Native American population. The Spanish and other Europeans exploited black people by making blacks slaves. Later, black human beings were imported in the Americas to be used as labor (and make the growth of European imperialism a reality). After the Spanish Empire declined, other European powers came into the Caribbean as a clear means to exploit its resources and harm human rights basically. The Dutch, the French, and the British followed one another to the region and established a long-term presence. They brought with them millions of slaves imported from Africa to support the tropical plantation system that spread through the Caribbean islands. There was the British colonization of Bermuda back in 1612, then St. Kitts in 1623, and Barbados in 1627. The Brits colonized other locations too in Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, Anguilla, and Tortola in 1672. The French enacted the same policy of colonization in Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Martin, St. Barts, St. Croix, St. Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, and St. Vincent in 1719. The Dutch took over other locations from Saba to parts of the Virgin Islands. The immoral slave trade basically caused most of the growth of the capitalist system in the modern era. The slave trade in the Western Hemisphere continued until the 19th century. Sugar cane and other resources were produced for the establishment. Some of the European or American wars between Empires would spread into the Caribbean. For example, even the American Revolution caused British and French fleet to battle it out in the Caribbean. Many abolitionists and black freedom fighters since the moment this immoral slavery Maafa came about fought back against oppression. Their efforts allowed the British Empire to end the slave trade in 1807 and to ban slavery completely by 1833.

When the Slavery Abolition Act came into force in 1834, roughly 700,000 slaves in the British West Indies immediately became free; other enslaved workers were freed several years later after a period of forced apprenticeship. Slavery was abolished in the Dutch Empire in 1814. Spain abolished slavery in its empire in 1811, with the exceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Santo Domingo. Spain ended the slave trade to colonies in 1817 after being paid ₤400,000 by Britain. Slavery itself was not abolished in Cuba until 1886. France abolished slavery in its colonies in 1848. When slavery was gone, the evils of colonization and discrimination still remained. Jamaica was one of the strongest locations where black human beings legitimately rebelled against oppression. There were the Maroons or escaped slaves that banded together as a way to fight evil. They existed in the mountainous Greater Antilles and some of the islands of the Lesser Antilles. Slave rebellions regularly occurred in Jamaica and Cuba. One of the greatest moments of black history and human history was when Haiti fought for its independence against the French Empire. This happened in 1804, which was after 13 years of hard work from the Haitian Revolution. Toussaint l'Ouverture and other brothers and sisters fought for freedom in that epoch of human history. ........

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You cannot fully understand about the Caribbean human beings without knowing about the Afro-Caribbean community. There are other ethnic groups that live in the Caribbean of course, but Afro-Caribbean have a very special cultural and societal influence in that region of the globe. Many of them suffered the unjust treatment of slavery, the exploitation in plantations, and other forms of oppression. Yet, the Afro-Caribbean human beings stood triumphantly up for justice and great reforms. They fought against British, Spanish, French, and Spanish imperialism including imperialism. They make up more than 22 million human beings in the world. There was a black Spanish seafarer named Pedro Alonso Nino who piloted one of Columbus's ships. Pedro came back to Europe in 1499. The brother Sam Sharpe led the Jamaican Baptist War slave rebellion against British imperialism. He was hanged for fighting for human liberation from slavery. Just before he was hanged for his role in the rebellion, Sharpe said "I would rather die among yonder gallows, than live in slavery." The rebellion caused two detailed Parliamentary Inquiries which arguably contributed to the 1833 Abolition of Slavery across the British Empire. Sharpe died in 1832 and he was named a national hero in 1975 by the Jamaican government. Also in 1975, Sam Sharpe Teachers' College in Granville, a suburb of Montego Bay, was founded and named in his honor. He is also on the modern Jamaican $50 dollar bill. Cuba was the last emancipated island of the region. From back then centuries to now, Afro-Caribbean freedom fighters have always advanced the cause of black human liberation. Marcus Garvey was a famous Afro-Caribbean that advanced the interests of the pan-African movement. He led the UNIA movement that allowed black human beings all over the Diaspora to be unified in the theme of growing black African cultural identity. The black, red, and red symbol of black African heritage started with Garvey and his adherents back in the early 20th century. Aime Cesaire grown his negritude movement. He was a politician from Martinique that was one of the founders of the negritude movement in Francophone literature. He lived from 1913 to 2008 in 94 years. He even taught Frantz Fanon. In 1941, Aimé Césaire and Suzanne Roussi founded the literary review Tropiques, with the help of other Martinican intellectuals such as Rene Menil and Aristide Maugee. Aime Cesaire wanted progressive action, an end to European colonial racism and civil plus social engagement. In 1960, he published the biography entitled, "Toussaint Louverture," which is about the life the Haitian revolutionary under the same name. He made great contributions to poetry and other forms of literature in the world. Caribbeans did not just birth reggae music, calypso, hip hop, and Rastafarianism. A lot of folks need to eliminate the stereotypical perception that the Caribbean is only about carnival, vacations, and so forth. The transparent reality is that Caribbean culture is multifaceted, dynamic, and rich. It birthed a lot of revolutionary human beings like Kwame Ture, who grown the Black Power movements in America. Africans in the Caribbean used clubs called Nations to preserve African language, culture, religion, and music. Paul Bogle, George William Gordon, and other freedom fighters worked with others in fighting for their liberation. Franz Fanon and Stuart Hall were theorists that were Afro-Caribbean as well. In the 21st century, many blessings have come about in the Caribbean. Portia Simpson Miller is the Prime Minister of Jamaica, which underlining the growing power of Afro-Caribbean women in daily life. There have been successes in development, but some parts of the Caribbean still have poverty and joblessness in Haiti and Jamaica. These issues ought to be addressed indeed. There was the West India author named Derek Walcott that published "Omerosm" which was an epic poem about the Caribbean back in 1990. Tim Duncan, Bob Marley, Orlando Hernandez, Patrick Manning, Rihanna, Colin Powell, Usain Bolt, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, and others are of Afro-Caribbean descent. We have a long way to go in terms of racial equality and other reforms, but we can still fight for truth and cultural self-assertiveness among any human being indeed.

Latin America....

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Latin America is interesting to study. It is made of Latin America, Mexico, and South America too. They have a great history and culture in their own right. Economically and politically, they are growing in power. Their culture is influenced by Native Americans, black Africans, Europeans, Indians, other Asians, and other human beings from the four corners of the Earth. In Virginia, where I am from, there has been an increase in the Latin American population. So, it is important to learn and appreciate Latin American culture. You can't know about Latin America without comprehending the history of Native Americans. Even as far back as 14,000 years ago, there was the Monte Verde settlement of Native Americans in Southern Chile. Throughout Latin America, there are vast rainforests, mountains, plants, and coasts. In Ecuador, you can find the Las Vegas culture that existed from about 8,000 to 4,600 B.C. The settlers in the land developed pyramidal structures for worships, transportation systems, and other complex governmental system. This is readily found in the Mayan, Inca, and Aztec civilizations. A lot of individuals understand about the Mayan peoples, because of their advanced calendar system. 2012 obviously is not the year of the end of the world. LOL. Yet, the Aztec empire was pretty much the most powerful civilization known throughout the Americas. It was destroyed by Spanish invaders. Christopher Columbus came into Latin America as a means to advance control over lands. Other conquistadors came into Central America too like Hernando Cortes to harm the Aztec human beings. Cortes seized the Aztec elite's power with the help of local groups who didn't favor the Aztec elite. There was Francisco Pizarro who caused the end of Incan rule in Western South America. The European powers of Spain and Portugal colonized the region. Later, the line of demarcation in 1494 came about, which gave Spain all areas to the West and Portugal all areas to the east. By the end of the 1500's, Spain occupied areas of North America too. Roman Catholicism dominated religiously the region then and now since it was the religion of the Spanish and the Portuguese. Today, about 70% of Latin America is Roman Catholic. The increasing membership of Protestants, Baptists, and similar denominations are coming about in Brazil, Panama, and Venezuela. Smallpox and measles (or diseases brought by the Europeans) killed a huge population of the indigenous population of Latin America. The intermarriage between European colonists and the indigenous peoples of Latin America were so common that human beings of mixed ancestry (or the mestizos of the old school times) formed majorities in several colonies. Haiti fueled independence movements inside of the whole region of Latin America. There has been a new scientific DNA study on Puerto Rico. Juan Martinez Cruzado is a geneticist from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. He designed an island wide DNA survey of Puerto Rico's people. Many believed that Puerto Ricans have mostly Spanish origins mixed with some African ancestry including distant indigenous ancestry. Cruzado's research revealed surprising results in 2003. It found that, in fact, 61 percent of all Puerto Ricans have Amerindian mitochondrial DNA, 27 percent have African and 12 percent Caucasian. This changes the official history of Puerto Rico indeed. ........

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Afro Latinos are one of the most prominent parts of the Latin American community. More human beings understand their history and culture in the 21st century. Malcolm X talked about the millions of human beings of black African descent in Latin America and South America back in 1965 before he was assassinated. He wanted the linkage of the people of color in the world as a means to combat the imperialist, racist Western power structure that still persists to this very day. Afro-Latinos are as African as an African Americans. Some Afro-Latinos have a darker phenotype and a more African phenotype than some African Americans living in the States. That is why La La Vasquez had to set the record straight and legitimately said that she is Latina, but Latina and black are not mutually exclusive, which is correct. She calls herself black and Latina, so not all Latinos look the same. Latinos are diverse. There are just some cultural differences between the African American community and many Afro-Latinos. We can be unified in our African culture and respect our cultural differences at the same time. Being black is very diverse since many of our brothers and sisters are eclectic in appearance, social disposition, age, gender, and other differences. These differences ought to be respected. Black people are all over the Western Hemisphere and throughout the world. Afro-Ecuador human beings make up 7-8% of the entire population of the nation of Ecuador. Many Afro-Ecuadorians live in the Esmeraldas region, Valle de Chota, and the Inbabura region. They have made great contributions in Marimba music and the many cultural aspects of the nation of Ecuador. These human beings are descendants of the black African slaves brought by the Spanish during their conquest of Ecuador from the Incas. Their population is about 1,120,000 people. Some have played in national football leagues, but discrimination is still strong against our brothers and sisters in Ecuador. Slavery was abolished there in 1851. Today, there are many organizations inEcuador that are fighting for the rights and liberties of Afro-Ecuadorian human beings in Ecuador. There are the CONDAE of the Afro-Ecuadorian Development Council, the Black Community Movement (El Proceso de Comundades Negras), and the National Confederation of Afro-Ecuadorians (or the Confederacion Nacional Afroecuatoriana or the CNA). In Uruguay, about 4 percent of the population is made up of African descendants. The black people of Uruguay did a great job in fighting off the Spanish in order for Uruguay to achieve independence. There are black human beings in Suriname that fought for human rights as well. La Saya is a popular music among the Afro-Bolivians. The Yungas has the highest population of the Afro-Bolivians. The Afro-Argentine community is more known now. There have been black organizations such as "Grupo Cultural Afro," "SOS Racismo," and perhaps the most important group "Africa Vive" that help to rekindle interest into the African heritage of Argentina. There are also Afro-Uruguayan and Afro-Brazilian migrants who have helped to expand the African culture. Afro-Uruguayan migrants have brought candomble to Argentina, while Afro-Brazilians teach capoeira, orisha, and other African derived secular dances. Afro-Argentine human beings influenced the tango. The National Institute to Combat Discrimination (INADI) is the public body responsible for combating discrimination and racism. We know of the individuals of black African ancestry living in Brazil, Puerto Rico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and even some locations inside of Mexico. Their stories and histories are just as vital and important to comprehend as the stories found in black folks in the United States of America.........

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In Latin America during the modern era, Latin American nations have been heavily influenced by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the U.S. Treasury Department. The West wanted Latin America to experience a neo-liberal economic system. Many Western corporations in the 1980's and the 1990's wanted Latin America to be more in align with American political policies. Even in the late 1990's and the rest of the 21st century, Latin American countries have executed a backlash against the Washington Consensus agenda of neoliberalism. U.S. economists like Joseph Stiglitz and Dani Rodrik have criticized policies made by the IMF. The reason is that they felt that some policies sent from the IMF were a one size fits all and these policies exploited the natural resources of Latin America. Not to mention that it is a historical fact that the West has funded reactionaries as a means to overthrow even some democratically elected governments of Latin America during the Cold War plus beyond. In recent years, left wing political parties and movements have risen to power all over Latin America and South America. Many nations wanted more national sovereignty. In the 21st century, the left tide in Latin America has grown even more. Hugo Chavez is still powerful in Venezuela. Many reactionaries want him to go away literally. There is Lula da Silava and Dilma Rousseff in Brazil. Fernando Lugo in Paraguay and Nestor and Cristina Kirchner in Argentina are other left wing leaders. Many of these leaders describe themselves as socialists, leftists, Latin Americanists, or anti-imperialists. The anti-imperialist struggle has always been strong in Latin America and South America indeed. The BBC even reported that in 2005, that out of 350 million human beings living in South America, 3 out of 4 of them lived in nations that are ruled by left leaning Presidents being elected during the preceding 6 years. Many Latin Americans legitimately reject the consensus policies of open markets and privatization, which has been pushed by Americans. The term to describe this important movement has been named "pink tide." Many of the young even in Chile are fighting against neoliberal extremism. Students in Chile speak to the fight that education is a human right not a privilege. In 2011, the Chilean working class fought against low wages, labor flexibilization, the firing of civil servants, and mining development. In addition, people angrily voiced their opposition to the construction of coal-fired thermal power plants that threaten their health and the environment. Camila Vallejo is the President of the University Students Confederation. She is fighting against market based education in Chile. The Chilean student movement is influencing Chile and all over Latin America as a whole. The battle against poverty and unemployment is still being fought in London, Madrid, Belfast, Mexico City, New York City, Athens, Barcelona, and all over the world. Right now, Latin America and parts of the Caribbean are growing social justice and building consensus. Social, political and economic transformations have been taking place through democratic processes in countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil throughout the past decade. The end results of these actions have been a reduction in poverty, lower income disparity in the region, an increase of social services, and direct participation in political processes.

By Timothy