Brazil And Caribbean Culture Essay

The modernize approach of religion and traditions of the old African culture now converted into an Afro-Brazilian culture that still has an impact and exists today which is also still celebrated in Brazil. I believe that without slavery, many of the importance of both sides of society selling slaves and buying slaves would not have shaped humanity in the modern world. “Two centuries had seen African and European cultural religious and linguistic habits merging into unique Afro-Brazilian social and religious customs, music, and storytelling (Nellis 62).” The cultural influence of Afro-Brazilians has persistently grew from celebrations like carnaval into a mainstream popular culture. Brazil holds a variety of different ideas, culture and people. These ideas and traditions include musical interests, dancing, different food dishes, literature and art, festivities, and religious practices.

The genre bachata was developed in the Caribbean island of Dominican Republic. This genre was created based on boleros (slow-tempo Latin music), son cubanos, waltzes, Mexican music and merengue. Bachata is well known as love and depressing songs in which many people describe them self with this genre. At one point back in the earlier 1960s, bachata was considered vulgar and low-class. “Acceptance of the music has increased significantly in the last two decades, although some dominicans, both individuals living on the island and stateside, still do not accept the music because of the implication of its lower-class origins and associations with such themes as crime, poverty, drinking, and prostitution’’(Stavans 47). The genre Bachata has spread and grown so quickly for the past few years that is has become very famous in the United States, Europe, China, and South America. The genre bachata is well known to attract people with its lyrics, instruments, and dance since it identifies many people with real life events.

When the Americas were just beginning to form, spirits accelerated their colonialism. At first, sugarcane production was introduced to the Western Indies or Caribbean Islands by Christopher Columbus. The West Indies land was not suitable to grow wine vines or grains for beer, instead Columbus introduced sugar canes to the Indies, creating a major sugar plantation in the West

The Spanish romance is a story song (ballad) in otosyllabic quatrain. An example of a Spanish romance is “Romance de Delgadina” which can also be heard in a corrido version (“Delgadina” by Lydia Mendoza). Like the Spanish romance, corridos are used to tell stories about historical people, places, and events in Mexico. In The Bracero Experience: Elitelore Versus Folklore, Maria Herrera-Sobek states “Mexican corridos or Mexican folksongs yields valuable information as to the ideology, world view, political, economic, and social situation of the Mexican people.” Some of the Mexican communities saw corridos as oral history, which communicated moral lessons and gave them a reason to be proud of their national identity. The history traveled to communities that did not have the opportunities to receive an education, and allowed them to understand what was going in their

The modern sugar industry began with Christopher Columbus, the misguided sailor who set sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain, westward toward China on August 3, 1492. He got as far as Cuba. As planned, Columbus landed at the Canary Islands a short time after leaving Spain, to load up provisions, however Columbus fell in love with the land's ruler, the beautiful Beatriz de Bobadilla y Ossorio. They had a month-long affair before he finally sailed away. She gave as a gift some sugarcane cuttings, which he planted in what he thought was land near China, but which were really the islands of San Salvador, Cuba and Hispaniola.

The calypso music that comes from a Trinidad musician is exciting, not on the ground of the blood that he carries in his veins but rather the historical, cultural, and religious favors that are brought together to ensure its production.

The concept of aesthetics describes what people of certain cultures tend to consider to be popular or in good taste (Wild & Wild, 2014). To this extent, despite being mostly unified by a single language, Brazil represents such a diverse culture that regional aesthetic variances could almost seem like they were different countries altogether (Castano, Goossens, Terlouw, and Vliet, n.d.). According to Encyclopedia Britannica, of all the cultures that make up the Brazilian way of life, the Portuguese culture is the dominant influence and provides the main language, religion, and many customs. Indigenous Indians and African influences are also apparent in some forms, especially in certain parts of the country.

The purpose of this paper is to recognize, study and analyze the race relations in Brazil. Race relations are relations between two groups of different races; it is how these two different races connect to each other in their environment. Since Brazil is racially diverse, this study is focused on how Brazilians relate to each other. Throughout the essay, it will become clear that there exists a conflict between two race groups. Afro-Brazilians and White-Brazilians are not connected and though these two groups converse with each other, discrimination still lies within the society. This discrimination has created inequality within the society for Afro-Brazilians. Thus, this paper will not only focus on racism and discrimination that

Over the past several decades there has been an increase, in Brazil, of people whom self-identify as being black or Afro-Brazilian. What sparked the rise in these identities in Brazil? Was it possible material and intellectual gains or, sparked from activism, or from other possible factors. The black movement and affirmation of “black” identity came about much later in Brazil than in other countries such as the United States. In my opinion the most important factors for the rise in these identities are the material gains from the Quilombo Clause, the effects of affirmative action and quotas, as well as social activism.

Calypso music originated in Venezuela, Trinidad, and Tobago during the start of the 20th century. It was traced back to West African Kaiso and the arrival of the French planters and their slaves in the 1800s. People think that these songs were introduced during the French settlement of the island of Trinidad. An African slave named Gros Jean is thought to be the first Calypsonian, or someone who makes Calypso music. Over the last century Calypso music has been becoming well known by not only the Carribean, but around the world. 1914 was a huge year for Calypso music, because this was when the first Calypso recording was made by the Victor Gramophone Company of New York.

Colombia is home to one of the many unique form of musical genre called Vallenato that formed around the second half of the 20th century. It initiated from a small valley region of northeastern Colombia and the term vallenato itself literally translates to someone from the valley, (‘valle’ and ‘nato’). It is described as the poor man’s music, like the workers from the farmlands of Colombia. The Mississippi and Magdalena River carry heavy origins of vallenato music. These rivers signify the struggles and experiences of those living by the river in this country. Identified as a descendant of Cumbia music, Vallenato music was influenced by romantic music and everyday work related songs. In the beginning vallenato music was looked down upon as music only played by those of the lower class nevertheless,

The Caribbean is a vastly diverse area representing the effects of colonialism, slavery, and the combination of many cultures.

of music to learn about like Kompa, Junkanoo, and Ska music, but the one I felt that’s best for me is Soca. Soca music originating from Trinidadian culture, which is a combination of the words “soul” and “Calypso.” Her popular song “It’s Carnival” featuring Machel Montano, released in 2003 on her “Red, White, and Black” album is a real upbeat, uplifting and motivational song.

By the mid-sixteenth century, Portugal had succeeded in establishing a sugar economy in parts of the colony's northeastern coast. Sugar production, the first large-scale colonial agricultural enterprise, was made possible by a series of favorable conditions. Portugal had the agricultural and manufacturing know-how from its