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The Greater Caribbean This Week

The joy of living in the Caribbean

by Watson Denis

We will never stop saying it: the Caribbean region is characterized by its cultural diversity, and also by its artistic, literary, and sporting prowess. The Caribbean is always smiling, to the rhythm of its sounds, vibrations and colors. In a word, the Caribbean is characterized by the joy of living, which manifests itself notably during community get-togethers, popular events, festivals and sporting competitions. It has always been so before and after the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492.

For example, in the pre-Columbian period, it is known that the Amerindian peoples loved to dance; this not only had a festive or worldly aspect, but also had a religious or spiritual value. Similarly, the Amerindians played a variety of sports, among which were Makebari, Guamajico (played especially by children) and the ball game that was played in the bateys, a rectangular space surrounded by stone posts. This sport was played widely among the Tainos, the Mayas and the Aztecs. It was played between two teams, each one with at least twelve players, mostly male, but sometimes women played too. The teams would line up against each other, with the aim of passing the ball several times in the opposing side and thereby winning the play.

The ball game was played with the shoulders, the elbow, the hips, the buttocks, or the knees; anything except the hands. The game was an amusing spectacle, rousing passion and enthusiasm. Each year, at the same period, called areytos, the ball game brought together a large number of people, who came to the bateys.

The playing of this sport fulfilled at least two fundamental objectives: it was a way of resolving conflicts between tribes instead of going to war; and an occasion to cement social and political relations, while having fun. The people participated zealously in the Areytos, singing, dancing, and making merry in all manner of ways, such as placing bets on their favorite teams.

How the ball game played by the Amerindians resembles the football played in our times in the Caribbean! The love of football in the region seems to have deep roots. Already, four teams from the Caribbean islands have played in the World Cup: Cuba (1934); Haiti (1974); Jamaica (1998); and Trinidad and Tobago (2006).

The participation of Caribbean teams in sports competitions, in cultural and artistic exhibitions gives self-confidence and reinforces the feeling of belonging to the region. Similarly, an international literary success creates a collective happiness and contributes to the general joy of living. Thus the ten Nobel Prizes awarded to Caribbean people represent much more than a heritage that we want to jealously safeguard and perpetuate.

This is also the case for Carnival, which is celebrated enthusiastically in many countries of the region. Those in Trinidad and Haiti remain very popular events.

Another event which will also be celebrated fervently is the Cricket World Cup, which takes place in the Caribbean from 5 th to 25 th March 2007 . This event will mobilize many thousands of people from across the globe. The region expects to receive more than 100,000 tourists during the competition. This will give a boost to the economy of the region. Such an international event, covered by the global media, will also increase regional self-belief.

Finally, we must also note the participation of the West Indies team (TheWindies) in the event, representing the whole region. This representation symbolizes the unity of the region. The regional team is not new: it goes back to the 1890s. In this sense, the Windies is perhaps the oldest structural organization of the Anglophone Caribbean, if not of the whole of the Caribbean islands.

The Windies have a history. The team gave immense joy to many Caribbean people, especially in the glory years of the 1970s. Let’s hope that in the course of this World Cup the Windies go from success to success, to bring us even more joy, increase our joy of living and better position the region within the international arena.

Dr. Watson Denis is the Political Advisor at the Secretariat of the Association of Caribbean States. The opinions expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Comments and reactions can be sent to mail@acs-aec.org

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Sirias, Trapped in a changing Cuba
Gutman, Inflexible beliefs
Stimson, Finding the easy
Greenpeace, G8 countries shirk climate change duties
Wheeler, The protests during Bush's Latin America trip
Alvares de Azevedo e Almeida, Bush in Brazil
Denis, The joy of living in the Caribbean

N. Jackson, The wheel of karma catches up with Scooter Libby

E. Jackson, Obama, Walter Reed and the antiwar movement