Impact of American Media on Caribbean Culture
Stewart-Andre Wilkinson 409001306
Impact of American media on Caribbean media culture and music Rap, Hip Hop, Pop, Fashion; all these are areas in which the culture of North America has influenced the culture in the Caribbean. To be able to determine the full extent to which American culture affects the Caribbean, we must first define what Caribbean culture is. In its broadest definition it is the actions and way of life practiced by the people who live amongst the islands of the Caribbean Sea that stretch from the Bahamas in the north to Guyana in the south. “Caribbean culture as the result of the violent mixture of indigenous people from Quisqueya, Xaymaca, Borinquén and Cuba, European immigrants who invaded these territories and African slaves brought to work in the gold mines, sugar plantations and sugar mills” (Wilson 1998). The culture of the Caribbean has been developing over centuries and due to its dynamic nature it changes with the presence of external pressures. The largest external force affecting Caribbean culture is in the form of North America; the main instrument used to cause this influence is the media. Although America’s impact is diverse, one of the major impacts it has is on the media culture and music in the Caribbean. This article will discuss how American media has affected the local media in Caribbean territories and the music industry in the region in three main ways: 1. The change in popular music in the Caribbean; 2. Treatment of local celebrities versus foreign celebrities. 3. Impact on Carnivals and television. The first major impact that American media has had on the region is on the perception of popular music. In the past reggae and calypso were the music genres of choice and the many songs produced could be heard regularly on the radios. Reggae originated in Jamaica but has found its way throughout the region so that the popular songs were sung by
Impact of American media on Caribbean media culture and music Rap, Hip Hop, Pop, Fashion; all these are areas in which the culture of North America has influenced the culture in the Caribbean. To be able to determine the full extent to which American culture affects the Caribbean, we must first define what Caribbean culture is. In its broadest definition it is the actions and way of life practiced by the people who live amongst the islands of the Caribbean Sea that stretch from the Bahamas in the north to Guyana in the south. “Caribbean culture as the result of the violent mixture of indigenous people from Quisqueya, Xaymaca, Borinquén and Cuba, European immigrants who invaded these territories and African slaves brought to work in the gold mines, sugar plantations and sugar mills” (Wilson 1998). The culture of the Caribbean has been developing over centuries and due to its dynamic nature it changes with the presence of external pressures. The largest external force affecting Caribbean culture is in the form of North America; the main instrument used to cause this influence is the media. Although America’s impact is diverse, one of the major impacts it has is on the media culture and music in the Caribbean. This article will discuss how American media has affected the local media in Caribbean territories and the music industry in the region in three main ways: 1. The change in popular music in the Caribbean; 2. Treatment of local celebrities versus foreign celebrities. 3. Impact on Carnivals and television. The first major impact that American media has had on the region is on the perception of popular music. In the past reggae and calypso were the music genres of choice and the many songs produced could be heard regularly on the radios. Reggae originated in Jamaica but has found its way throughout the region so that the popular songs were sung by
References: 1. Wilson, Carlos Guillermo. 1998. “ Uprooted”. pp 43 2. Cummings- Yeates, Rosalind. 2000. Foreign invasion: American media images reshaping Caribbean culture. BlackVoices.com 3. Feguson, Clarabelle. 2011. The Relationship Between American Media Exposure and Trinidadian Female Adolescents’ Body Image Satisfaction. 4. Baptiste, Fitzroy A. 1988. “The Exploitation of Caribbean Bauxite and Petroleum, 1914-1945.” Social and Economic Studies 37, nos. 1-2:107-42. 5. Baptiste, Fitzroy A. 1988. War, Cooperation and Conflict: The European Possessions in the Caribbean, 1939-1945. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press