If you’re from the Caribbean or been around a lot of Jamaican influences, you have to know at least one song about bleaching, or at least know this one line. 
 
DEM A BLEACH, DEM A BLEACH UP DEM SKIN. 
 

Bleaching is a serious epidemic within our Caribbean and African communities, that has been destroying the natural colour and complex of our skin for decades. As a young child, I would always scrunch up my face at the sight of someone who was bleaching. I never truly understood the reason of this popular “beauty enhancing” method. The idea of people lightening their skin always confused me, especially when the ending results were distasteful to the human eye.
As a curious child, I decided to read about history and try to follow with conversations on and off the internet, I’ve came to conclusion on why bleaching is such a big thing in my region.

It was coloursim.
 
Now many persons, especially within the black community tend to mix up the term colourism with racism. So to clear the confusion, let us look at the definitions of these two terms.
 
Dictionary.com sites racism as such:
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to others.
2.a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3.hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
 
Whereas, in 1982, Alice Walker coined the term Colourism which is defined as a form of prejudice or discrimination in which people are treated differently based on the social meanings attached to skin color.
 
Before we continue, I just want to note, that the term “colourism” isn’t a real word by dictionary standards, but the term is living testament of the society we live in today.
 
Now that we’ve defined these two terms, we are going to focus on colourism, a topic that has been plaguing my twitter and tumblr feeds for the last week or so. In order to understand colourism, we have to look at its origins. Slavery in the New World.
Yes, that wonderful time period from the 1600s to 1800s. Who am I kidding, it’s still happening today. However, that’s another topic, so I digress. 
 
There was a British slave owner from the West Indies named Willie Lynch. It was heard across the Americas that this man had perfected the art of slavery and was invited to give a speech on the colony of Virginia to teach his methods. The speech highlighted methods which became a tool to slave owners all over.
 
Here is the beginning of the speech where he highlights the differences between the various slaves and how he used them against each other:
 
“In my bag here, I HAVE A FULL PROOF METHOD FOR CONTROLLING YOUR BLACK SLAVES. I guarantee every one of you that, if installed correctly, IT WILL CONTROL THE SLAVES FOR AT LEAST 300 HUNDREDS YEARS. My method is simple. Any member of your family or your overseer can use it. I HAVE OUTLINED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENCES AMONG THE SLAVES; AND I TAKE THESE DIFFERENCES AND MAKE THEM BIGGER. I USE FEAR, DISTRUST AND ENVY FOR CONTROL PURPOSES. These methods have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies and it will work throughout the South. Take this simple little list of differences and think about them. On top of my list is “AGE,” but it’s there only because it starts with an “a.” The second is “COLOR” or shade. There is INTELLIGENCE, SIZE, SEX, SIZES OF PLANTATIONS, STATUS on plantations, ATTITUDE of owners, whether the slaves live in the valley, on a hill, East, West, North, South, have fine hair, course hair, or is tall or short. Now that you have a list of differences, I shall give you an outline of action, but before that, I shall assure you that DISTRUST IS STRONGER THAN TRUST AND ENVY STRONGER THAN ADULATION, RESPECT OR ADMIRATION. The Black slaves after receiving this indoctrination shall carry on and will become self-refueling and self-generating for HUNDREDS of years, maybe THOUSANDS. Don’t forget, you must pitch the OLD black male vs. the YOUNG black male, and the YOUNG black male against the OLD black male. You must use the DARK skin slaves vs. the LIGHT skin slaves, and the LIGHT skin slaves vs. the DARK skin slaves. You must use the FEMALE vs. the MALE, and the MALE vs. the FEMALE. You must also have white servants and overseers [who] distrust all Blacks. But it is NECESSARY THAT YOUR SLAVES TRUST AND DEPEND ON US. THEY MUST LOVE, RESPECT AND TRUST ONLY US.”
 
Finalcall.com has an article where they go in detail of Willie Lynch’s theory and you can click here to read it.
 
 
Reading the snippet above, it is evident that a lot of issues that we are facing in the black community today has derived from this method of controlling. Today we are going to focus on dividing us by colour or shade.
 
“You must use the Dark skin slaves vs. the light skin slaves and the light skin slaves vs the dark skin slaves.”

 
If we replace the world slaves to people, we have the simplified version of coloursim. Throughout history, many white people gave higher praises and better positions to those of lighter colour because their tone was closer to theirs. It was a psychological method to instill into them that they were better than their darker counterparts but still aren’t equal to the white man, however if they don’t acknowledge their darker counterparts and treat them like the lower class citizens, the lighter folks might have a chance to have similar opportunities like the white man.
 
This has caused one the biggest division within the black community. It has changed and molded the beauty standards of the community where as the lighter you are, the better you look. Many people suffer from coloursim on a daily basis. Many darker persons in the community deal with mental and emotional pain from the countless teasing and lack of opportunities.
 
Yes, darker persons, especially the women, are less likely to get the higher pay job within the black community. You personally don’t think so? Let’s look at black Hollywood for a second. Many of our favourite sitcoms that has changed and revolutionized television for are great examples where the leading female roles are usually awarded to the lighter actresses.
 
Martin? Gina was light skin.
My Wife & Kids? Jay was light skin. Also can’t forget that they replaced dark skin Claire with a light skin Claire like we wouldn’t noticed. (By the way Tisha killed both of these roles. This woman is phenomenal)
The Cosby Show? Claire was light skin.
Fresh Prince of Belair? Aunt Viv went from real dark to real light and whole different personality real quick. I wish they put in more effort to get a dark Aunt Viv after the original left. Luckily Will girlfriends went across all different diasporas.
The Proud Family? Why Penny was light skin? Why her dark skin friend was extra loud? Stereotypes? Hmmmm......
 
If after looking at a small portion of the sitcoms you still do not believe there is blatant discrimination within the black community, look at the original casting call for Straight Out of Compton 

I rest my case.
 
 
The question is, can we change this narrative within our community?

The answer, yes and no.
Dark skin individuals (especially women) can continue to cry out and advocate for better opportunities within their community and folks of lighter diaspora can also advocate and educate about the lack of representation. However, ignorance thrives through the system. We can’t get anywhere if everyone wants a lighter person so they can have nice light babies with big ole curls, everyone seems that the lighter person is calmer and is more respectful and we definitely can’t get anywhere if the colour of skin determines the overall beauty of the person.
 
Colourism is one of those institutionalized beliefs that we as a people (all people of colour, including the Latin/Hispanic, Arabic and Asian communities) have to fight through on a daily basis. It is just something we can’t continue to ignore. Coloursim is an important topic that has to be taught within our communities to the both young and old. We have to change the narrative that lighter is better and that we are all one people.
 
If we can change the narrative on step at a time, I can stop singing DEM A BLEACH, DEM A BLEACH UP DEM SKIN. 

About a year ago, I watched a clip on Facebook which addressed slavery in Jamaica. This particular section on clip, spoke on how homophobia is so prominent on the island. The lady mentioned that during slavery, if the slave master or the overseer thought the slave didn’t do their job at the right speed or they rebelled and disrespected them, they would anally rape the men in front of their peers, wives and children. It’s that psychological impact that has been passed down from generation to generation , which causes the fear of homosexuals. Does this make their discrimination towards them right? Of course not, but it isn’t easy breaking such stubbornness as well. 


Another big influence is Religion. The major religions in the Caribbean,Christianity and Islam, both heavily opposed the idea of homosexuality. When I mean heavily.... I mean heavily.... 
There are many cases where young men are killed or stoned because of their sexual preference. If God told us to love everyone just the way they are, why do we show so much hate to those who are different. The church bashes them on a daily basis and terms such as batty boy, faggit/faggot /chichi man, are used as derogatory terms from the mouths of the “holiest of holy”. Yet they want us to believe that they are preaching the truth and gospel but are bringing down an entire section of God’s people. 

Unfortunately, these type of ideologies are passed down from generations to generations. Sayings like “well at least we know he like girls, Thank God” or “Yes he is on the right side” even to “Boy you better like girls” can be harmful to those who are not heterosexual. The consistent  effort for making sure a guy ends up with a girl is one of the many reasons why persons aren’t comfortable with their sexuality. 


Now to those who would say “Buh meen fraid no faggot dawg, ion just want then near me” 

Yes, you are afraid of them. You have a PHOBIA of gay males. Why? You are afraid that they will hit on you and that they will inappropriately touch you. You know, the same actions that heterosexual males tend do to women on a daily basis. Normal stuff, well if it is happening from a male to a woman, definitely not male to male, that is when they must die. Right?

​
Sadly, homophobia thrives through the Caribbean culture. It’s is ingrained in us through religious teachings and our pop culture. Chi Chi Man was such a big hit, but why are we burning humans who did absolutely nothing to us? 

This post only highlights a few points when it comes to the discussion of homosexuality in our community. Addressing the hatred towards the LGBT community in the region is another post itself. Now I'm not saying that these people are perfect, but they are human. They should be given the same human rights at the heterosexual human being.

​The question is, would you take the stand to change the narrative in the Caribbean community? 

Name: Miggy Llorera (DJ Teriyaki)

Age: 18

Country: Born in Philippines , raised in Anguilla 

Profession/Skill: Currently a content creator for What We Do In Anguilla magazine, radio announce & deejay and a social media manager.

Motivation: Having a passion for literature and being a total dramatist, I decided to pursue Journalism as my future career, preferably travel journalism.

Social media handles: IG - miglogy, Snapchat - migd_up
​

Name: Xarriah Browne

Nickname: Xarrii
Age: 21
Country: Nevis
Profession: Customs Officer/ YouTuber/ Entrepreneur 

Channel: XarriiEvolve.SKN-YouTube 
Social media:
Facebook- Xarriah Rawlins 
Instagram- Krystal_Raww

Motivation: I wanted to do something,that wasn’t done much in SKN, to encourage personal growth and development. Somehow I got hooked on YouTube videos and it occurred to me that I could use it as a tool to encourage my platform. While the channel isn’t exactly where I want it to be as yet, the plan is to evolve

Name: Lucyallis Pina (Pinahairstylist) 
Age: 17 
Country:  Anguilla. Currently in Slough, United Kingdom 

Profession/Skill: Entrepreneur  (Braiding Hair/ Weaves/ Locs) 

Motivation:  I began braiding hair in the UK when I was 16 years old. My best friend inspired me to pursue styling hair because she saw that I had a passion for it. From 2016-2018 (now) I have become more motivated and determined to become a successful business as my skills progressed. 

​Instagram: pinahairstylist 

Full name: Sasha Herbert aka Sasha, The Artist
Age: 22 years old
Country: Basseterre, St. Kitts! (St. Kitts & Nevis)
Profession/Skill Art Instructor/Host

What motivated you to start doing what you do?
It has always been my goal to use my passion to drive my career. As ​‘Sasha, The Artist’​, my personal brand created in December 2015, I painted commissions, illustrated logos and designed posters for clients and partook in exhibitions to display and sell my own paintings. That sustained me for awhile but I needed more. I began research and was fortunate enough to come across the Paint & Sip industry that deeply inspired me. It was from there on for​ almost two years, I researched even more, planned and developed what is now​ ‘Paint & Sip with Sasha, The Artist’ - ​A​ unique entertainment experience of painting, cocktails and socializing, that hosted its first event in February 2017.

[Website or Channel]
Official Facebook Page: Sasha, The Artist
Instagram: @sashatheartist_
Website: www.sashatheartist.portfoliobox.net 

Name: Darion Darroux
Age: 21
Country: Montserrat
Profession/Skill: Border Security ; Royal Montserrat Defense Force Rank: 2nd Lieutenant 

Motivation: My motivation centered around a love of country and a will to serve its citizens. I've always liked the military and the idea of protecting my country, so why not do both in different ways? 

Social Media: 
FB: Darion Darroux
Instagram: dvx945
Twitter: dvx945

The great Trinidadian Calypsonian David Rudder starts off his 1987 hit, Calypso Music, with those words. The song continues to describe the wonders of this beautiful genre that fuels the daily life of the simple Caribbean folk. As descendants of slaves and indentured workers, Caribbean people are continuously experiencing various types of struggles as the small nations in the archipelago fight to find their identity and sustain adequately as sustainable nations. 

Hardship, political problems, local drama, partying and having fun are the different topics that are portrayed in the thousands, even millions of songs that have been produced in this genre. Calypsonians take their time to add their powerful lyrics to a sweet melody that captures the attention of many. 

Calypso is so great and diverse that it produced an offspring genre just to focus on feting (partying). Soca (Soul of Calypso) has also captured the hearts of many across the world. Different artists, from various islands have different or similar sounds that would have you feeling energized or just cuddled up with your Love one. 


This Carnival season, in my opinion will be great. The various struggles and challenges which resulted in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria, constant political issues throughout the region, and the simple fact that we never know when number 45 will start war, there are many different points and topics to sing about. 


So if you are a more political analyst type of person and focus on the scandals like David Rudder sang in Panama (yes I love David Rudder) or you are all up for the jolification with songs like How Will Santa Get Here by King Obsitinate or my personal favourite Christmas Morning In Sint Maarten by Young Dow, I know the music from this prestigious region touches your soul,


If you are Sparrow, Arrow, Rudder, Obstinate or any other great calypsonian fan, please take time to share the greatness wherever you go. 


If you have no idea what I am talking about, it is time to do you your research and I would say start off with Congo Man by the Mighty Sparrow (also a big fav). 


Let us know who are your favourite calypso artist and favourite song in the comments below