We are in the midst of celebrating West Indian Week 2004. Being of Haitian descent I would argue for a renaming to Caribbean Week 2004, and while this change might seem trivial, I think that by touching on the issue of naming and labeling, we can begin to address the issue of the lack of Hispano-Caribbean representation in the West Indian Students Association (W.I.S.A.).
As a member of W.I.S.A, I know it is clear that there is no student representation from those that claim a Cuban, Dominican or Puerto Rican identity. And while I will admit that W.I.S.A’s name is in fact misleading since West Indian is a term often used to describe the ex-British colonies, it is clear by the wide array of representation from other non-British Caribbean islands that it is an organization that has stepped beyond the borders of its title to open itself to the rest of the Caribbean. So again why is there the lack of Hispano- Caribbean representation, if others have looked beyond the titles and found a place for themselves?
Interestingly enough this weekend’s Caribbean cultural show does feature a traditional Dominican dance performance and the Caribbean flag display outside of the MPR includes the Puerto Rican, Dominican and Cuban (although it was stolen) flags, both showing the efforts being made to incorporate into this week’s events those that are often missing. However, I’m not sure if this is enough, and while I know that one cannot force others to identify themselves by one’s own terms, it is clear that for those who clearly acknowledge, celebrate, and pride themselves on their Caribbean identity there is distinction being made of what it means to be Caribbean and what it means to be Hispanic from the Caribbean.
Is this then a question of language or race identity? Do many of those from the Hispano-Caribbean identify themselves with representatives of Central and South America because of the Hispanic identity that they share and thus the common voice that they have at Wesleyan. Moreover, if this is a means of forging unity between “Hispanics,” I would then ask what place Caribbean unity holds?
One simply has to look at the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which despite obvious tensions, has a deeply rooted cultural and historical connection. Moreover, as many scholars such as the famed Martinican scholar Edouard Glissant argues in his theory “Antillanite,” that there is in fact a Caribbean identity which surpasses the issue of language disparity and unites the various ex-colonies and that the Caribbean experience is in fact unique to the islands that form its archipelago.
I hope that this letter will encourage those representatives from not only the Hispano-Caribbean but also anyone interested in building up Caribbean cultural awareness at Wesleyan, to make a place for themselves in W.I.S.A.
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