Every year, in Trinidad there is a festival of colors which is transformed into costumes, calypso, steel band music, dance and different foods and Carribean art which magnetizes many people from different countries also known as Carnival. Carnival takes places on the Monday and Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday. Carnival is celebrated to mark an overturning of daily life. The Carnival of Trinidad is a very consequential festival in the island of Trinidad and Tobago. The roots of carnival both lay in Africa and France. Carnival has evolved over the past two centuries from an elegant, exclusive affair to a truly all – inclusive national festival, it is by far the most spectacular event on the nation’s calendar.
In the year of 1498, Christopher Columbus landed in Trinidad and, as was the practice in the supposed age of Discovery and Exploration, he then took possession of the island in the denomination of the King and Queen of Spain. The island did not have the promise of immense wealth like the other countries in Spain’s Western imperium. Trinidad was, therefore, largely ignored for over two hundred and fifty years. In 1776, out of concern for this state of affairs, the Spanish king issued a Cedula of Population, which opened the island to colonization by the French. A second Cedula followed in another seven years. This optically discerned an even more astronomically immense influx of planters from the French West Indian islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe and Saint Dominigue. Arriving withal were Free Coloreds and Africans. The French brought with them their cultural traditions, their language, how they dress, the foods they ate and also their customs. In 1797, Trinidad was captured by the British and was made a crown colony of Gre...
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...as incremented from $500 to $1,000 and, in 1963, a breakthrough was scored by steelbands when the Silver Stars Steelband of Newtown, Port-of-Spain, copped the Band-of-the-Year denomination with its presentation of Gulliver's Travels. It would be the first and only time in the 20th century that this feat would be accomplished by a steelband. By the mid-1960s, bands commenced to peregrinate from historical to fantasy themes and by 1969, the masquerading population was on the incrementation.
Today, Carnival is Trinidad and Tobago’s main tourist magnetization and has inspired several Carnivals in cities where citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have settled, including Incipient York, Toronto, Miami and London. Other Caribbean islands such as Jamaica, St.Vincent and Grenada have homogeneous festivities but Trinidad and Tobago Carnival remains the greatest show on earth.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the carnival of trinidad is a consequential festival in trinidad and tobago. it is celebrated to mark an overturning of daily life.
- Explains that christopher columbus landed in trinidad in 1498 and took possession of the island. the spanish king issued a cedula of population in 1776.
- Explains that the period between christmas and lent was marked by festive activities and feasting by both the french and english. the british imposed martial law during the christmas season.
- Explains that the pre-emancipation carnival visually perceived whites, dressed as negues jadin, and mulatresses.
- Explains that emancipation brought liberation for africans, but also brought new concerns for the whites. the british were entrenching themselves as the incipient colonial power in the west.
- Explains that canboulay began as a carnival masquerade in which whites dressed up as blacks imitated their dances including the calinda and their torch-lit, drum accompanied procedures.
- Explains how baker's actions in 1878 and 1879 evaded a direct challenge to the ceremony, but he endeavored to suppress both canboulay and carnival.
- Explains how cannes brulées celebrated the anniversary of their liberation on august 1st by reenacting scenes of slavery.
- Explains that africans introduced their own musical instruments and dance forms of kineticism. the kalenda, a dexterous dance performed to drums and chants while the dancers engage in mock combat with their sticks.
- Describes the activities of the cannes brulées, which preceded the street carnival of monday and tuesday.
- Explains that the jamette carnival was a compulsory release from the struggle that was their circadian lives. they lived in appalling conditions in areas rife with all the conditions for convivial instability.
- Analyzes how the british colonial regime vetoed many of the activities associated with the carnival including dancing to drums, carrying lighted torches, and "obscene musical compositions and dances."
- Explains that it took more than legislation and police batons to stop the carnival. the more repressive the legislation, the more truculent were the replications.
- Explains that the people's canboulay festival was abolished in 1884, and the tamboo bamboo became established. the stickfighters were eventually driven underground.
- Explains that the first two decades of the twentieth century marked the gradual re-ingress of upper classes into the festival. they returned after the carnival was purged of its 'coarser' elements.
- Explains that carnival took on a more organized and european character. fancy dress balls were held at the princes building antithesis to the queen's park savannah.
- Explains that the dimanche gras show was inaugurated in 1948 as a vignette in the carnival queen show.
- Explains that in the early 1950s, the regime decided that carnival was too consequential a national festival to be left in private enterprise. the cdc (carnival development committee) was set up in 1957.
- Explains that by mid-century, carnival was consummately under the control of the central regime. bandleaders and designers sought inspiration from history, films, great personalities and world events as they conceptualized winning pieces.
- Describes how a "band of the year" award was initiated in 1955 to apperceive the effort that was being put into the presentations. the authenticity of bailey's presentation back to africa won bailey band-of-the-year accolades that year.
- Explains that in 1961, the first prize for the band-of-the-year was incremented from $500 to $1,000, and in 1963, a breakthrough was scored by steelbands when the silver stars steelband of newtown, portugal, copped the band of the year denomination with gulliver's travels.
- Explains that carnival is trinidad and tobago's main tourist magnetization and has inspired several carnivals in cities where citizens have settled, including incipient york, toronto, miami and london. other caribbean islands like jamaica, st.vincent and grenada have homogeneous festivities.
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- Essay About Carnivalopinionated essayWhen carnival was created it was a day for the peasants to have freedom to do what they wanted to the kings and the hierarchy above them, but my question is why did the kings take it to heart? If what the Kings do to the peasants on a daily basis is not accepted when it is done to them on the day of carnival, then why do it at all?
In this essay, the author
- Explains that white privilege was birthed over 300 years ago when slaves were working on plantations. it is still present today because of the fear of letting people of color live comfortably in a society that was supposed to be free for all.
- Opines that the superiority and inferiority complex that has been placed on most societies is heavily flawed and should not be a way to live life.
- Opines that popular culture distorts reality and creates an imagination for the world where they think that they can achieve this.
- Opines that it is nice to go back in time and learn about the structures that have been put in place before us because they can compare and contrast that with how today's society is constantly challenging and breaking down barriers of the old ways to create new ones.
- Asks why the kings didn't accept what they did to the peasants on the day of carnival, since slavery was a domino effect of violence against people of color.
980 wordsRead More - Spaniards in the Colonial Empire: Creoles vs. Peninsulars?analytical essayBurkholder, Mark A. Spaniards in the Colonial Empire: Creoles vs. Peninsulars? Wiley-Blackwell: United Kingdom, 2013.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how burkholder discusses the differences between peninsulars and creoles in spaniards in the colonial empire.
- Explains that the crown would send peninsulars to america and place them in positions of higher rank. america-born spaniards had several advantages compared to the mainlanders, such as being educated and knowledgeable in the indigenous language.
- Explains how the lifestyle differences between the two became more distinct. creoles constituted the lower class and their wealth diminished because prosperous holdings were consistently given to peninsulars.
- Argues that americans didn't question the crown's naming of officials in america. this is dubious because although america was a province of spain, it never established itself within the new world.
660 wordsRead More - The Effect of Slavery on the Identity of Cubaanalytical essay"the plantations serve as a telescope for observing the changes and the continuities of the Caribbean galaxy through the lenses of multifold disciplines, namely economics, history, sociology, political science, anthropology, ethnology, demography, as well as through innumerable practices, which range from the commercial to the military, from the religious literary"(Benitez-Rojo 38).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the quakers began campaigning for the abolition of the slave trade in 1772, in hopes that slavery would die off and planters would use another alternative.
- Explains that slavery was abolished in cuba in 1881, despite the illegal slave trade and the prosperous sugar industry. the moret law granted freedom to all slaves born after 1868.
- Explains that cuban culture is a combination of spanish and african traditions. the island's complicated history is evident in its inhabitants.
- Explains mintz, sidney w., the caribbean as a socio-cultural area, peoples and cultures of the caribbean, garden city, new jersey, 1971.
- Analyzes how the plantations in the caribbean helped shape each colony from colonialism to modern society.
- Explains that the spanish discovered many rare commodities that were not easy to find in europe. slaves allowed the europeans to expand their trade empire.
- Explains that cuba became a spanish empire by 1840. the economy was based on racial slavery, and the social hierarchy separating whites from the slaves and freed people of color.
- Explains how emancipation was a social process in which the master and slave struggled to transition from slavery to free labor.
2128 wordsRead More - The Creoles: Spain's Struggle For Independenceexplanatory essayUntil the early 1800’s, Spain created an empire that lasted around three hundred years and was considered “the most powerful country in Europe” (Mini Q). During the late 18th century, the Spanish colonies had an uncompromising social structure to which people were placed in different classes based on their heritage. The Creoles, people born in the colonies but of pure Spanish blood, lead the fight in the struggle for independence because of the economic and social conditions as well as the attempt to gain political power.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that spain created an empire that lasted around three hundred years and was considered "the most powerful country in europe." the spanish colonies had an uncompromising social structure to which people were placed in different classes based on their heritage.
- Explains that the creoles wanted to gain political power, but they were being rejected of it. they owned the largest and richest mines and haciendas but held few high-ranking jobs in the government.
- Explains that spain followed mercantilism as well as imposing monopoly over colonial trade. the drought in 1808-09 caused the food prices to triple, and the economic system in america was absurd.
- Explains that spain had an absurd social structure where people were categorized based on their ancestry. the creoles wanted to lead the fight for independence and support it.
480 wordsRead More - One of the Largest Islands in the Caribbean: Jamaicaexplanatory essayXamayca, also known as Jamaica, is one of the largest Islands in the Caribbean. In this essay I found some pretty interesting things I didn’t know about Jamaica. I hope you read and enjoy it as much as I did researching and writing about one of the most visited countries. It originally home was the home of the Arawak and Taino Indians. They were mostly an agriculturally based society that grew corn, sweet potatoes, cotton, and tobacco. However, their lives were forever altered after Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1494 during his second voyage. Originally, he had heard that Jamaica was the land of gold, but soon thereafter he found out that there was no gold whatsoever on the island. Columbus thought the Indians were too hostile because they initially attacked his ship while landing on the island. After the battle however, the Indians ended up surrendering to them. Later on, by the 1500’s, the Spanish began to settle Jamaica and they set up the first capitol know as Spanish Town. The Spanish immediately enslaved the local population and often they were overworked and mistreated. For an example as a result of this treatment, most of the natives died due to their exposure to new Europeans diseases. In the mid to late 1600’s, the British invaded the island, which ended with the Spanish to surrendering to them. The British settlers in Jamaica soon became known as “buccaneers” after this, due to their pirating activities; one of the most famous know pirates that we know of is Hennery Morgan. Ironically, Morgan was knighted by the king and was put in charge of Jamaica during this time. As the years passed, slave trading from Africa became a common practice by the British in Jamaica. By the mid 1700’s the sl...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that jamaica was originally the home of the arawak and taino indians, who grew corn, sweet potatoes, cotton, and tobacco.
- Explains that jamaica's economy is diverse and includes agriculture, ranching, fishing, forestry, tourism, and mining.
- Explains that jamaicans have close families that support each other emotionally and economically.
- Explains that the upper class of jamaica is wealthy and educated, while the middle class is poor and doesn't attend school. jamaican funeral ceremonies start at birth, and the deceased is kept under a silk-cotton tree.
- Explains that jamaica is an independent state, a parliament, and member of the british commonwealth. the jamaican flag was adopted on august 6, 1962.
- Explains that the jamaican defense force (jdf) started in 1795 and was known as the west india regiment during wwi.
- Explains that jamaica has the highest per capita murder rates in the world and criminal gangs consisting of young males as young as 12 years of age congregate on inner city streets.
- Explains that jamaica is home to a lot of celebrities including heavy d, slick rick, naomi campbell, busta rhymes, sean kingston, diana king, and devon white.
1943 wordsRead More - Influence of the Spanish on Puerto Rican Societyanalytical essayAlthough the natives of Borikén were Taino, it is argued that the first Puerto Ricans were black Puerto Ricans. Spanish occupation virtually eliminated Native influences by the way of the decimation of the people as a result of disease brought across the atlantic by the Spanish settlers. In this way the Taino were minimally influential in forming a new cultural identity. “The descendants of the first African slaves had already become black Puerto Ricans”(González 10) when Spaniards from the canary islands arrived to replace those who had left in search of riches in Peru and Mexico. For this reason it is feasible to accept the notion “that the Puerto Ricans were in fact black Puerto Ricans.” (González 10) The African presence was more of a factor in the formation process of the Puerto Rican identity. Of the massive numbers of slaves who survived the voyage there were those who were fortunate enough to escape into the hinterland. Here they found refuge from the hardship of plantation labor along with the opportunity to join the peasantry that also searched for refuge. The jíbaros “used the broken topography of the interior as an ally in its struggle with the expanding sugar plantations” (Scarano 6) This intermixing of the two cultures forged several similarities.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the impact of the spanish on puerto rican society. the importation of slaves is a common aspect of colonial latin america's history.
- Explains that the tainos, the natives of puerto rico, were extensive agriculturalists as well as a highly organized people. they developed irrigation techniques and increased the productivity of their crops.
- Explains that the taino's gender roles were markedly different from those of the european nations. the matrilineal arrangements allowed both men and women to become the chiefs of their respective villages.
- Argues that the taino were minimally influential in forming a new cultural identity. the jbaros used the broken topography of the interior as an ally in its struggle with the expanding sugar plantations.
- Explains that the spanish authorities encouraged the importation of foreigners to revitalize the economy and convert the colony into a profitable one.
- Analyzes how the jbaros were oppressed by the wealthy planters because of their poverty and lack of education. they developed a grammatically inferior version of spanish.
- Explains that the arrival of the spanish was the catalyst for the changes we see on the island today. the colonial era left a negative imprint on puerto rican society.
- Cites scarano's book, "sugar and slavery in puerto rico, 1815-1849: an overview."
- Cites laird bergad, coffee and agrarian capitalism in nineteenth century puerto rico, and francisco del valle atiles, the spiritual life of the jbaro.
1260 wordsRead More - Inventing the Caribbean: Columbus’s Creation of the Otheranalytical essay2. Knight, Franklin W. The Caribbean: The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism, 2nd edition. New York: Oxford University Pres, 1990.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how tzvetan todorov explores the ways in which the spanish worldview shaped columbus's perception of the natives of hispaniola.
- Analyzes how todorov argues that columbus's self and the other are defined by three spheres: the divine, nature, and humans.
- Analyzes how columbus' faith affected his understanding of human and natural elements and directly contributed to the creation of the other, as the arawak were judged according to christian standards.
- Analyzes how the natural sphere of columbus's worldview played a significant role in his experience and interpretation of the caribbean.
- Analyzes how columbus judges the natives as inferiors rather than equals because they negatively correspond to his sense of self. knight acknowledges that the failure to communicate with the arawak led him to judge them according to himself standards of wealth and decency.
- Analyzes how columbus' judgment of inferiority overlaps with the projection of his own image onto the arawak. he recognizes that the natives have a system of communal property, but expects them to know the european custom of private property.
- Analyzes how columbus systematically denied the existence of a valid worldview, which differed from his own. he negated the arawak self by remaining conscientiously ignorant of it as such.
- Analyzes how tzvetan todorov raises pivotal questions regarding the discovery self makes of the other in the conquest of america.
- Analyzes how columbus' writings reveal that religious devotion and faith were central facets of his identity and may have been the impetus for his adventure to the indies.
- Analyzes how todorov points to the exaggerated quality of columbus's descriptions of natural beauty as evidence of his reverence for nature.
- Explains knight, franklin w, sider, gerald, steward, julian h., and faron. the caribbean: the genesis of a fragmented nationalism.
2725 wordsRead More - Mardi Grasexplanatory essayI am a native of Guyana, South America, and this is my first time observing Mardi Gras in person. I had heard of the things people do for the objects and trinkets that the masked riders throw off the floats, which is a major aspect that distinguishes Mardi Gras in New Orleans from carnival in Guyana. Guyanese people do not take off their clothes for a string of pearl, or a coconut. Carnival in Guyana is a one-day event, celebrating Guyana’s independence from the British. On this day people dress in bright colorful costumes and dance in the street.
In this essay, the author
- Describes how they woke up early to watch the parades in new orleans. they saw women and even men showing their goods for colorful beads, pearls, and a coconut.
- Explains that they enjoyed mardi gras as a participant and observer. in guyana, the parade goers have as much as the participant, and there are no barricades to squish people in one place.
- Opines that people don't care what they do, or have hardly any type of respect for themselves if they are willing to strip themselves in public for a string of beads.
- Describes the smell of stale beer in the air, loud music everywhere, and people shouting and laughing having a good ‘ole time.
776 wordsRead More - Christopher Columbus: Discoverer or Invader?explanatory essayThere have been circular arguments,internaionally, concerning whether Columbus discoverd or invaded the west Indies. through this essay I will explore all counter arguments for this particular topic. Its complex yet simple, one step at a time.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that there have been circular arguments regarding whether columbus discovered or invaded the west indies. they will explore all counter arguments for this particular topic.
- Explains that discover and invade means to be the first to find something, while invading means taking/being in a place without permission.
- Analyzes how columbus admitted to 'discovering' the west indies in a letter to the arawaks, who were unaware of the news.
- Explains that columbus' mission was to find a new all water trading route to east asia, but he accidentally landed on the west indies.
- Explains that the arawaks lived peacefully and crafted items and clothing to support their lives. men's competitive games were part of their ritual worship and ceremony.
- Explains that the arawaks had simple lives, were peaceful, weak and nave, and had no information of the outside world. they had metal armoury, swords and spears, unlike the sparniards.
- Explains that the first spaniard that had arrived were all prisonors. they would fight over the arawaks women since they were 'beautiful' and were very revealing.
- Explains that the arawaks were not immune to european diseases because they had healthy lives, which was one of the reasons that native americans rapidly dicreased.
- Explains that columbus didn't start slavery, but he contributed to it. he transported over 30% of african slaves to portugal before his "discovery of the indies".
- Explains that some historian books take biased sides that columbus discovered the west indies because the historians at that time like to portray their country in a positive way.
- Explains that some historians say that he had invaded the west indies because of the fact that the vikings from iceland and greenland reached there almost 500 years before columbus.
- Opines that columbus invaded the west indies because of the way they were treated by the spaniards. he was responsible for the ethical cleansing of arawaks by selling them and giving them diseases.
821 wordsRead More - The Letter to Santangel by Christopher Columbusanalytical essayPublished in 1493, Luis Santangel received the embellished journal of Christopher Columbus as validation for the much-promised riches in the Indies. Centered around an era of power and conquest, Columbus tapered his writings and findings to pacify his Royal sponsors for the voyage. Santangel was also one such wealthy sponsor. Although the tone of the letter was vastly hyperbolic, Christopher Columbus still managed to document the labeling of the numerous islands and its topography. Yet even the size and measurement is a bit exaggerated as well referring to one island being twice as large as that of Great Britain and Scotland. Columbus did his best to acknowledge various “thousands upon thousands” in this letter with that of spiceries and gold mines with mountains in a “thousand shapes...full of trees of a thousand kinds” as well as deeming the exotic islands incomparable to any other islands that “there could be no believing without seeing” firsthand. Colu...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the "letter from columbus to luis santangel" contextualizes the events of columbus' exploration of the new world. the columbian voyage map helps the reader track his first, second, third, and fourth voyage.
- Analyzes how luis santangel received the embellished journal of christopher columbus as validation for the much-promised riches in the indies.
- Analyzes how columbus used the same tactics and reasoning to be granted the funding and blessing for his voyage.
- Analyzes how the letter to luis santangel is a primary source of information about christopher columbus's trip. the positive feedback with almost no mention of negative circumstances or even realistic outcome makes the reader question how desperate columbus may have been.
- Analyzes how columbus was convinced that he had found the orient, and referred to the natives as "indians".
- Analyzes how the letter to santangel by christopher columbus proved invaluable in many respects because of its description and detailed account of columbus's discoveries.
1002 wordsRead More