Caribbean Crucible Documentary

 The Caribbean Crucible was a documentary that focused on the relationship between the British and the people of the West Indies. This documentary goes back to the roots of this class. It focuses on the colonialism in the West Indies and how the British exchanged goods for slaves. Slavery was always present in the West Indies, and the people eventually were sold in Europe or in the United States. However, the documentary showed an insight into how the natives resisted the the British colonial influence and how they coped with the treatment and reality of living in a country occupied by a ruling group.

    The natives fought back fiercely as described in the documentary. The "Maroons" were a group that was talked about heavily. They would surprise the British and make them beg for mercy. "Maroons" is derived from a Spanish word that means, "runaway slave". I found it interesting that this group used the term to name their group. They are not really runaways, but they are more of a rogue group in their country. To cope with hardships, the people relied on music heavily. This love for music originates from the African heritage of many. They dance and sing, and enjoy the music; the music brings them strength, so it became a staple of Caribbean life. Fighting colonialism took strength and perseverance to stand up and deal with conditions that were far from ideal. Music was a focal point of the documentary that showed how the Caribbean people found their strength.