BE A CULTURE VULTURE


FEEL THE VIBE VIBRANT, DIVERSE CULTURE


EUROPEAN INFLUENCES AND DEEP AFRICAN TONES COME TOGETHER IN THE CARIBBEAN


he diverse history of the Caribbean has left a legacy of different languages, people, food and traditions which have all played their role in shaping the Caribbean’ unique culture.


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Little remains of the Carib and Arawak Indians who originally inhabited the islands, but the spirit of the European explorers who discovered and fought over these countries hundreds of years ago lives on. The English, French, Spanish and Dutch made the most impact here, though in latter years the American influence has become more prevalent. But it is easy to identify – mainly through the language and the architecture – which individual islands align their heritage to. Take the Spanish Caribbean countries like Cuba and Puerto Rico where the traditional Spanish buildings and Latin tempo contrast


HOT TIPS


Living history... The Caribbean has a strong portfolio of UNESCO World


Heritage Sites. Check them out at whc.unesco.org/ for an effortless introduction to the region’s amazing past.


Make a date... The region has a lively calendar of festivals, carnivals


and events. Time your visit to coincide with these for the ultimate cultural experience.


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greatly with the ornate architecture, café culture and gourmet cuisine found in the French islands of Guadeloupe or Martinique. Then there are the Dutch Caribbean islands


of Bonaire and Curaçao, with their gingerbread- style houses that wouldn’t look out of place along the canals of Amsterdam. There’s even the island of St. Martin/St. Maarten which is half French and half Dutch – with two distinct cultures to match.


OUT OF AFRICA


But the African roots of the islanders – many of them descendants of slaves brought across the Atlantic to work the sugar plantations – are evident in the traditions and carnival celebrations woven into everyday life.


“It’s the English-speaking Caribbean that accounts for most islands and it’s here that visitors will find plenty of links to remind them of home”


HOME FROM HOME


It’s the English-speaking Caribbean that accounts for most islands and it’s here that visitors will find plenty of links to remind them of home. From traditional stone-built churches and Georgian architecture to red telephone boxes and, of course, the fact that everyone speaks English and drives on the left! There are even familiar-sounding places such as Brighton or Worthing in Barbados, Falmouth in Antigua and Portsmouth in Dominica.


www.caribbean.co.uk


Ruined sugar mills, fortresses and plantation houses also stand as testament to the region’s varied past, with some becoming tourist attractions and the most notable sites and structures gaining invaluable UNESCO World Heritage Site status. These include the Brimstone Hill Fortress and National Park on St. Kitts; the twin Pitons on Saint Lucia; and the Morne Trois Pitons National Park on Dominica. Barbados’s capital, Bridgetown, and its military garrison has also attracted World Heritage status, as has the Citadel, Sans Souci palace and Ramiers buildings, which together make up the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere on Haiti.


Cuba can boast the biggest collection of World


Heritage accolades with nine sites, including Old Havana and the historic centre of Camaguey, while Belize’s Barrier Reef and Curaçao’s historic area of Willemstad have also attracted recognition.


The Caribbean is a rich mix of contrasting influences with its strong African roots surviving the centuries to produce a fun-loving and vibrant culture with music very much at the forefront


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