🎨 Caribbean Arts and Popular Culture in the Region and its Diaspora
- Art, music, dance, painting, teaching, and travel have been instrumental in developing and promoting Caribbean identity, particularly in the post-independence era.
- The personalities in this section are the real ambassadors of Caribbean arts, culture, and intellectual thought both at home and abroad.
- Their efforts as artists, painters, dancers, and teachers have enabled Caribbean people both at home and in the diaspora to become familiar with their history and culture, and to to develop an appreciation for their heritage. They have also presented Caribbean culture in a manner that has been widely appreciated by international audiences.
SIR REX NETTLEFORD
- Jamaican scholar, historian, social critic, choreographer and poet.
- Co-authored a study of the Rastafarian movement in 1961.
- His artistic work, particularly his choreography was based on the concept of “cultural marronage”.
LOUISE BENNETT
- Jamaican educator, poet, writer, folklorist and educator
- Born 7 September 1919; Died 26 July 2006
- Traveled throughout the world publicizing areas of Jamaican culture performances and lectures.
- Known for writing and performing her poems in Jamaican patois.
- Her work has been translated into foreign languages.
- Through her work, she gained international popularity and recognition for herself and Jamaican culture.
BERYL MCBURNIE
- Trinidadian dancer and teacher.
- Played a huge role in promoting Trinidad and Tobago’s arts and culture on the global stage.
- Articulated Trinidadian culture and heritage through dance and was the first person to promote primitive and Caribbean dance.
- Taught West Indian dance in New York and performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
- Formed the Little Carib Dance Company, which gained an international reputation and was instrumental in spreading Caribbean culture to Canada, paving the way for Caribana.
- In 1959, she was appointed OBE, and in 1969 she was presented with the Hummingbird Gold Medal of Trinidad and Tobago. In 1976, the University of the West Indies conferred on her the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
- In 1978, she was honored along with Katharine Dunham and Pearl Primus at the Twentieth Anniversary Gala of the Alvin Ailey Theatre.
MARTIN CARTER
- Guyanese poet who used his work to capture the times of unrest and instability in his native Guyana. Many of his poems are centered on themes of protest, revolution, and resistance.
- Often regarded as Guyana’s greatest poet.
- Not removed from his poetic themes, Martin Carter was actively involved in Guyanese politics and was even once imprisoned because of his ties to, and support of, the communist-leaning People’s Progressive Party.
- Served briefly as Guyana’s Minister for Information.
PAULE MARSHALL
- An American author who has her roots in Barbados
- Her writings encourage black Americans to reclaim their African heritage.
- Many of her books have a Caribbean context or themes running through them.
- Her works feature strong, black, working-class women.
AUBREY GRAHAM
- Guyanese musician, artist, and singer
- Believed popular music contributed to “the healing” of Guyana during the 1960s and 1970s, around the time of independence and general political upheaval.
- The influence of race, class, and color in Guyana during the 20th century can be found in his music.
