It isn't easy to simplify the influence that Caribbean culture has had and still has on the UK. It draws from two factors, one being an inherent need for the Caribbeans to communicate and live among Britons in a new culture as well as their other inherent need, to not lose their own identity s they don't feel that they have lost the way of life they were born into.
The culture that we have seen during the last few generations of Caribbeans in Britain has been determined by the culture their ancestors and previous migrants brought with them and adapted as well as their experience of living here and how they have interacted with the environment, British people and occurrences in their new surroundings.
Of course, culture doesn't just flow the one way and it hasn't just been British culture that has had its effect upon the Caribbean people. Caribbean culture is alive and well in the UK and has been having its influence for years especially in certain fields such as the arts and music.
There have been significant artists of Caribbean descent who have made quite an impression in the UK and throughout the rest of Europe. Conductor Rudolph Dunbar was perhaps the first Caribbean who enjoyed any kind of success in the UK. He became a star around Europe in the 20th century. Another artist, sculptor Ronald Mooney paid a visit to London in 1935 where he impressed visitors at the British Museum.
We saw the first big Caribbean carnival take place in the 60s. Although a carnival is typically a celebration, the reason it began was as a demonstration to a Jamaican who was killed in Notting Hill, Kelso Cochrane. It touched a nerve in particular as there were a large number of Jamaica migrants in Notting Hill. It gradually became more of a traditional carnival, however with more and more of a trace of Jamaica gradually making its mark on the carnival.
The culture that we have seen during the last few generations of Caribbeans in Britain has been determined by the culture their ancestors and previous migrants brought with them and adapted as well as their experience of living here and how they have interacted with the environment, British people and occurrences in their new surroundings.
Of course, culture doesn't just flow the one way and it hasn't just been British culture that has had its effect upon the Caribbean people. Caribbean culture is alive and well in the UK and has been having its influence for years especially in certain fields such as the arts and music.
There have been significant artists of Caribbean descent who have made quite an impression in the UK and throughout the rest of Europe. Conductor Rudolph Dunbar was perhaps the first Caribbean who enjoyed any kind of success in the UK. He became a star around Europe in the 20th century. Another artist, sculptor Ronald Mooney paid a visit to London in 1935 where he impressed visitors at the British Museum.
We saw the first big Caribbean carnival take place in the 60s. Although a carnival is typically a celebration, the reason it began was as a demonstration to a Jamaican who was killed in Notting Hill, Kelso Cochrane. It touched a nerve in particular as there were a large number of Jamaica migrants in Notting Hill. It gradually became more of a traditional carnival, however with more and more of a trace of Jamaica gradually making its mark on the carnival.
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