The Caribbean is a geographical space determined by the existence of the sea that bears its name, made up of a string of countries located on Terra Firma, from Mexico to the northern part of South America, with the Antilles in front, an interminable rosary of islands going from East to West.

In one and all, the native populations had more or less a common origin, as even the first inhabitants of the islands had moved from the continent, reproducing their lifestyles. The lifestyles of all were interrupted by the colonial process, which imposed essential changes on the societies of those original peoples, leaving us a Caribbean fashioned according to metropolitan interests.

We already know the eventful history of this geographical space, where at different times the processes of conquest and colonization brought together people from Europe, Africa and Asia, who along with the natives of the region, generated a particular process of demographic development visible in today’s population rainbow.

Although each metropolis that intervened in the region worked in its own interest and the approach to colonization varied according to the particular historical moment in Europe, what is certain is that they left a trail of common characteristics in the countries of the Caribbean, which today serve as a base for identifying cultural affinities.

However, these affinities were grouped together in spaces that were politically differentiated according to the metropolitan actor in each case. Hence one often speaks of the different Caribbeans: French, Spanish, Dutch and British. These borders remained closed up to the end of the 19^th century, preventing contact from one to the other Caribbean. This is the explanation for the historical distance imposed upon us for four centuries. However, as patterns of freedom have flourished and been imposed, Caribbean people have understood the need to get closer to each other, availing themselves of the affinities of their historical formation, more than the differences imposed by the colonial past. One can perceive the will to break with the Caribbean left to us by colonization, which is a Caribbean in which distance prevails. This is a distance built on the basis of differences generated among the metropoles on converting the Caribbean into the "imperial frontier" where they settled their contradictions. 

We inherited a Caribbean of "indifferent neighbours", often in conflict, without their own mechanisms of communication, lacking a regional institutionalism that could promote exchange. But this is not the Caribbean we want.

We are not obliged to live with the fateful notion inherited from colonialism. The human condition of the Caribbean being empowers him to construct a new definition of this most diverse and plural space, united by history and traditions. It is time to overcome the negative perceptions created in the past and to look towards the united future that awaits us.

Dr. Rubén Silié Valdez is the Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States. The views expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Feedback can be sent to mail@acs-aec.org

29 March, 2005