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CultureR
There’s far more to the Caribbean than rum and reggae. Beneath the surface is a collection of islands and countries shaped by a shared colourful history
live on through traditions and festivals. Music and dance is the lifeblood of West
T
Indians and the annual carnival is a way of expressing their cultural rites. There are few traces of the islands’ original Carib and Arawak Indian inhabitants who were wiped out by European settlers, though Dominica still has a community of Caribs living on the island. But it is the Europeans who made the most impact, resulting in a region comprising four architecture: English, Spanish, French and Dutch. Most islands are part of the English-speaking Caribbean and the lifestyle of the locals is more reminiscent of an earlier Britain, particularly among the older generation. Not only does everyone speak English and drive on the left, but children are turned out immaculately in school uniforms and families don their Sunday best for weekly visits to church. The countryside on islands such as Barbados and Antigua is punctuated by stone churches that look as though they’ve been transported from a typical English
village; stately Georgian
he African roots of the islanders, many of whom are descended from slaves who worked the sugar plantations,
houses and the odd red telephone box. The French islands, including Guadeloupe and
Martinique, are a mix of Gallic chic and West Indian charm, while Spanish Caribbean islands Cuba and Puerto Rico Dutch Caribbean islands such as Bonaire and Curaçao boast brightly-coloured colonial Dutch houses. Ruined sugar mills, fortresses and plantation houses are a reminder of the past, with some becoming tourist attractions and others gaining 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 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 has nine World Heritage sites while Belize has attracted one for its barrier reef.
Main: just chilling out in Jamaica. Left: a Guadeloupe smile Above: dancing in Puerto Rico and colourful Bonaire
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