THE EASTERN AFRICA AND THE CARIBBEAN SPACE AND IDENTITIES: RETHINKING THE AFRICAN PRESENCE IN THE CARIBBEAN-Julias Kanyari

Abstract

Studies on African presence in Caribbean amplify the centrality of West African literature and history on the formation of the political, social, cultural and religious identities in the Caribbean. However, literary studies tracing the Caribbean-Africa connection have been conducted in West Africa. Although West Africa plays a major role in the formation of the Caribbean consciousness, this approach has led to a misrepresentation of facts about the contribution of other African regions towards the formation of the contemporary Caribbean space and identities. Tentatively, such literary studies are based on the assumption that the African presence in the Caribbean has everything to do with slavery; hence the connection between Africa and Caribbean is premised on slavery. This paper posits that the creation of the Caribbean social, cultural and religious realities is a continuous process that outlived the abolition of slave trade and slavery both in the Caribbean and Africa. Consequently, the study amplifies the role of Ethiopia in the formation of the Rastafarian Movement in Caribbean literature, the influence of the Mau Mau Uprising on Caribbean literature, and the significance of Edward Brathwaite adopting an African name. Ultimately, the paper argues that the Eastern Africa is a major influence in the formation of the contemporary Caribbean consciousness.