Multicultural Review
In early 2010, people around the world were inundated with images from the earthquake that devastated Haiti. Unlike the usual tourism commercials that are seen from Caribbean that contain reggae music and travelers enjoying themselves on a beautiful sandy beach, this event pointed to a Caribbean nation in need of what many Americans considered basic resources. For many Americans, this was their first glimpse of a nation that was already a victim of the downfall that resulted from decades of political turmoil.
The islands that comprise the Caribbean consist of multiple ethnicities, races and cultures. Various political and historical factors have led to certain cultures facing discrimination from others. This multicultural review sets out to provide one with insight into the cultures of the Caribbean islands largely populated by black people, particularly Jamaica and Haiti. Through the eyes of history, literature and entertainment, one can begin to create an understanding of these cultures. Particularly, this review contains literary pieces that focus on certain periods in Haiti and Jamaica’s past which effects the nations are still struggling with today.
This collection would suit any person who has an interest in learning about black people in the Caribbean, whether a scholar or traveler.
LITERATURE
James, Marlon. The Book of Night Women. New York: Riverhead Books, 2009.
The Book of Night Women draws the reader into the tale of an orphaned young slave girl coming of age in an environment filled with violence and tension.
Narrated in Jamaican Patois, the novel is set in 19th century Jamaica where Lilith is a young slave on the Montpelier Plantation. With a tendency towards violence, she catches the attention of the Night Women, a group of slave women planning a multi-plantation revolt to kill all the white people on the island. Homer, the leader of the slaves, recruits her to become a part of this group.
This decision results in conflict and tension among the group of women. Initially, it is the young woman’s bond with Homer that irritates the other women. Her violence is both feared and revered among the women in the group who perceive her to possibly be the group’s strongest asset. Yet, eventually, it is Lilith’s affection for the plantation’s manager and desire for his affection that concerns the group. Such a thing could lead to Lilith becoming the Night Women’s greatest weakness.
The Night Women are not Lilith’s only concern as she grows and matures on the plantation. Having moved into the “big house”, she finds herself navigating the politics of working on an plantation. And the plantation is filled with them as slaves are categorized into house, field, and Johnny Jumper and whites themselves are categorized not just into the roles of owners and overseers, but even Creole, French, British and Irish. She also finds that she shares similar physical features with others in the group which leads the dark-skinned girl with the green eyes to question her own paternity.
In telling Lilith’s story, James utilizes such a vivid imagery that some passages may take hours to get through as he describes them in gruesome detail, particularly scenes where the slaves are beaten and brutalized . Nevertheless, a reader will find themselves enduring these pages as one can’t help but want to know what happens next. A rollercoaster of emotions can be expected with this literary insight into the world of slavery in the West Indies.
Vieux-Charvet, Marie. Love, Anger, Madness: A Haitian Trilogy. New York: Modern Library, 2009.
Love, Anger, Madness: A Haitian Trilogy consists of three stories focused on race, class and gender in 1960s Haiti when government regimes were the norm. For this reason, fear of political and military leaders is an underlying theme in all three novellas. Originally published in 1968, this marks the first time that the work has been translated into English.
In “Love”, Haitian-born Vieux-Charvet tells the story of Claire. She is the oldest of the three Clamont sisters who live together. Nevertheless, her dark complexion and single status has the rest of her family treating her as a subordinate in Haiti’s caste-like system. Initially, she is primarily concerned with the matters of the household including her sisters’ relationships and an attraction for her brother-in-law. However, readers will see Claire’s growth as she takes on a greater interest in the social and political affairs affecting her country. She becomes somewhat of a rebellious activist.
“Anger” is the tale of a middle-class family who are landowners. In telling this story, Vieux-Charvet opts to identify the family members by their roles first and as the plot unfolds, each member is given their own name. This device gives a sense that Vieux-Charvet wanted to ensure readers captured the very patriarchal structure of Haitian families. One day, the family finds military men are squatters on their property. As this is a time of fear of the military, this discovery leads the family into a series of events that negatively affects each family member emotionally.
Probably the most complex of the three is “Mad” which takes you into the deranged mind of a young poet named Renee. Renee traps himself inside of his home for eight days with no food. During this time, his mind wanders through various thoughts focused on race and religion while he addresses his fear of the regime. In his monologues, he expresses that race and religion play heavily into the political affairs at the time. And it is Rene’s fear of Haiti’s political situation which stifles his ability to create.
This book creates a very graphic portrayal of the political turmoil that Haiti was enduring in the 1960s under the Duvalier regime. Not only that, it tells three stories of characters from different backgrounds all living with the same fears. With its vivid imagery and vibrant characters, it should provide insight to anyone interested in the political climate during the period the book covers.
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
Zacair, Phillippe. Haiti and the Haitian Diaspora in the Wider Caribbean. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2010.
As one of the typically darker hued populations of the Caribbean, Haitians have seen their fair share of racial and ethnic discrimination globally.
In this work, scholars, historians, and sociologists, among others, seek to demonstrate that Haitians often deal with these issues much closer to home, within the Caribbean. In the preface, Zacair, a native of Guadeloupe, recalls his own childhood memory of his mother’s negative and violent reactions to a group of Haitians in a carnival parade as part of the motivation for this recent collection of essays. In recent years, Haitians have migrated to other nations within the Caribbean in an effort to improve their lives and are finding themselves the recipients of much prejudice. Through essays, the writers explore the perception and treatment of this often maligned group.
Throughout the book, the essayists largely focus on Haitians who have migrated to Guadeloupe, French Guiana, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. Topics covered in the book include marginality and subjectivity, anti-Haitian violence, healthcare rights, kinships, and refugee rights.
Yet, it is at the end that the book becomes its most riveting where various testimonies are offered. In “Congratulations! You Don’t Look Haitian: How and When Does One Look Haitian?”, Haitian American Cecile Accilen notes how after 20 years in the United States, she is often offended by the “compliment” that she does not resemble the people of her native land. She contends that such a compliment stems from the United States’ perception that Haiti is nothing but a land of poverty and political unrest. Accilen continues to note that media is largely to blame for such a perception of Haitians as “boat people”, but also adds that a similar sentiment is shared throughout the nations of the Caribbean. Testimonies are also given by Haitian domestic servants living in French Guiana, a Guyanese partner of a Haitian immigrant, and the president of the Haiti-Jamaica Society.
This book provides great insight into the treatment of a group that is often relegated to a blurb or paragraph in many books, particularly in America. Also, it also offers an understanding of some of the many ways Haitians are marginalized in the world.
REFERENCE
Hillman, Richard S. & D’Agostino, Thomas J. Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean, Second Edition. Boulder, CO: Rienner; Kingston: Randle, 2009.
The Caribbean contains a multitude of cultures, religions, economies, and environments. No one island is exactly like the next, but many share characteristics and histories that unify them. This book aims to explain all that through a series of essays by various social science scholars with updated events and themes.
Instead of looking at the Caribbean as a place of individual nations, the book’s 13 chapters focus on topics that unify its cultures and locales. Topics covered include geography, economies, international relations, environment, ecology, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender, religion, literature, diaspora and trends. By opting to focus on concepts instead of the individual nations of the Caribbean, the book’s authors manage to give almost equal attention to each across the board.
One area where the book lacks is providing equal treatment to the subject areas covered. Politics and religion were given special attention as the chapters are considerably longer than the others and the authors delved into the intricacies of each within the confines of the different nations. Yet, a section on ethnicity, race, class, and nationality across the Caribbean only amounts to one page with a generic explanation attempting to cover the entire week.
As a visual work, the editors aimed to graphically and visually display the concepts they were trying to convey. The work offers statistics and maps that simplify such concepts as gross domestic product and poverty, migration, and natural disasters among others. Furthermore, sprinkled throughout the book are pictures from all over the Caribbean that extend far beyond the beach and water often seen in tourism advertisements.
This work provides an adequate introduction to the Caribbean to those interested in it for scholarly purposes or even visiting purposes and provides a general view of this region of the world.
BIOGRAPHY
Steckles, Garry. Bob Marley: A Life. Northampton, MA: Interlink Books, 2009
Bob Marley was prolific musician who has been written about many times due to his innovation and influence in the world of reggae music.
In this recent attempt to tackle the life of a revolutionary music legend, the Steckles, a journalist who writes about Caribbean music, takes a chronological approach. It begins with Marley’s rural childhood growing up in a village in Saint Anna Parish and flows easily until his death from cancer in Jamaica. In between, the reader gets a sense of a man who yearned to be heard once he stepped foot in Kingston. Steckles successfully notes the musical highlights in Marley’s life though, at times, it feels like a discography. The book also chronicles his journal as a Rastafarian and his political beliefs that often overflowed into his music.
Throughout the book, Steckles examines many of Marley’s relationships both personal and professional. When speaking of his relationships with others in the music industry, the reader sees a man who had a difficulty working well with others. This is especially evident when the author provides details on his relationships with fellow Wailers Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh, producer Lee Perry and producer Clement Dodd.
While Steckles appeared willing to look at Marley’s relationships, he tended to steer away from a highly analytical approach. For an artist who wore his politics and religion on his sleeve, the author veered away from looking at his motivations or flaws. Several phrases in the book indicate that the author primarily knows how to be highly complimentary of Marley.
If one is looking for a concise book filled with facts about Marley’s life, this is a recommended read. The book showcases a versatile man who became known as one of the most politically-driven music icons of all time.
