West Indian Culture
“Is we thing!” how accurate is this perception of popular culture or sport among the working population in the British West Indies during the first half of the 20th century.
Cricket today, as it has been said many times, is not what it used to be. Unfortunately many young West Indians know very little of what is once was and what it stood for, they take for granted the techniques and its origins. The level of West Indies cricket has been diluted due to the increase of tourism and fast paced games. However there are many West Indians who hold strong to the fact that cricket is part of our culture and heritage. This archipelago in the Americas has produced many fine cricketers throughout the years. The Caribbean is a unique multicultural and multiethnic region; the majority of the population was forced to migrate after the original inhabitants faced almost complete annihilation. The survivors were at no level to repopulate the Caribbean. As a result there was no previous pattern for the new comers to follow; they had to create their own. West Indians had to develop their own religion, food, politics, art and essentially their entire culture. Cricket was one such aspect, though not their own, over time they moulded and shaped it into what it is today. Cricket came to the West Indies via the English military that were deployed to defeat Napoleon’s west India project and to suppress uprisings, they played the game during their free time, which was relaxing and reminded them of home. The game was introduced as a means of portraying the high statute that was English. During the Victorian age the English empire was at its peak, it had expanded considerably and was proud of its successes, she deemed herself as superior in commerce, morals and race. At this time the only thing that was missing was cricket, Lord Harris, a colonial administrator saw cricket as a method of teaching discipline, loyalty and acceptance of decisions in order to consolidate the empire.
Cricket today, as it has been said many times, is not what it used to be. Unfortunately many young West Indians know very little of what is once was and what it stood for, they take for granted the techniques and its origins. The level of West Indies cricket has been diluted due to the increase of tourism and fast paced games. However there are many West Indians who hold strong to the fact that cricket is part of our culture and heritage. This archipelago in the Americas has produced many fine cricketers throughout the years. The Caribbean is a unique multicultural and multiethnic region; the majority of the population was forced to migrate after the original inhabitants faced almost complete annihilation. The survivors were at no level to repopulate the Caribbean. As a result there was no previous pattern for the new comers to follow; they had to create their own. West Indians had to develop their own religion, food, politics, art and essentially their entire culture. Cricket was one such aspect, though not their own, over time they moulded and shaped it into what it is today. Cricket came to the West Indies via the English military that were deployed to defeat Napoleon’s west India project and to suppress uprisings, they played the game during their free time, which was relaxing and reminded them of home. The game was introduced as a means of portraying the high statute that was English. During the Victorian age the English empire was at its peak, it had expanded considerably and was proud of its successes, she deemed herself as superior in commerce, morals and race. At this time the only thing that was missing was cricket, Lord Harris, a colonial administrator saw cricket as a method of teaching discipline, loyalty and acceptance of decisions in order to consolidate the empire.