Caribbean Interacting with the Wider World

The Imperialism Age commenced with the coming of the Europeans who conquered lands and its people as well as established colonies. Several European countries created empires in the Caribbean, in all parts of America and in Africa. Military might, fear and deliberate psychological conditioning were the agents used to rule their subjected people. During the period of colonialism European culture became dominant in the Caribbean. The colonies which were formed during this period became extensions of Europe. Only the colonizer benefited in the relationship between the colonized and the colonizer and racism was the basis of this relationship. In order to maintain European dominancy colonizers averted the colonized from practicing self- sufficiency and creativity. The colonized experienced otherness as they were marginalized in this era as their culture was regarded as inept.
Even though most Caribbean countries are evident the practices and cultures seen are still leaning towards the metropole. There is an imbalance in the trading relationship between the ex-colonizer and the ex-colonized this is referred to as neo-colonialism. The countries of the West still have maintained dominance and this is evident in all aspects of the economy. The relationship between the West and the Caribbean fails to be symbiotic; the Caribbean has a great dependence on the West and this will all neo-colonialism to continue.
Consumption patterns in the Caribbean are heavily influenced b y the US and Europe. An economic relationship exists where dependency is deliberately promoted while manufacturing is prohibited. The mass media plays a major role in allowing the Caribbean to be influenced by religious and secular festivals of the West. Popular Caribbean music has been produced as a result of the oppression of European rule, resistance against colonizers and expression of racism and political oppression. These records have gained great extra-regional success. In the Caribbean there is