Beryl McBurnie is a Caribbean figure who has contributed greatly to Caribbean culture and identity. The text, Beryl McBurnie, is written by Judy Raymond, a journalist and senior editor based in Trinidad. She is currently editor-in-chief of Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. The book is part of the series of Caribbean biographies that collects the lives of other cultural activists such as: Marcus Garvey who promoted pan-Africanism and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association; and Derek Walcott who was a poet and playwright. In five chapters the book tells the life of Beryl Eugenia McBurnie. Beryl, born November 2, 1914, a few years before the First World War, was a dancer from Trinidad. She founded the Little Carib Theater used to promote Trinidad culture and supported Trinidad's unique culture until her death on March 30, 2000. Judy Raymond memorialized her as she has a great influence on Caribbean culture and should be remembered for his contributions, namely causing a cultural awakening, establishing a popular culture and encouraging the independence movement in Trinidad. Judy Raymond gives an insight into the history and social structure of Trinidad during Beryl's life and information about Beryl by exploring various themes, mainly culture, identity, slavery and freedom using narratives and quotes, which also helps to understand the value of the book for understand Caribbean society today. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before you begin to understand the book, you need to understand Trinidadian society in the period in which it is set. First, it is important to note that Trinidad was the first crown colony and not yet independent. When Beryl was born, Indian indentured servants were still entering the island bringing their culture with them. In 1930, the Great Depression occurred, characterized by high levels of unemployment, poverty, unrest, and anti-colonial settlements. She left Trinidad in 1938 to pursue a dance education in New York while Calypso was growing up in Trinidad. Also, due to World War II, many American bases were built in Trinidad and the soldiers loved all forms of entertainment. Calypso eventually made Trinidad known internationally, but it faded after a few years and Beryl believed Carifesta could redeem it. In New York where he studied and performed, the American Negro Theater was founded a few years before the Second World War. Finally, in both places, women were expected to be docile and do domestic work, but successful gender movements were taking place, one example being women eventually gaining the right to vote. Finally, in 1962, Beryl choreographed the dances for the newly independent island. These dances would have been an aspect of Caribbean culture. The theme of culture can be seen throughout Beryl McBurnie's text. Culture can be defined as “that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, law, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of a society. (Tyler (British anthropologist) 1870: 1; cited by Avruch 1998: 6)” (Spencer-Oatey, Helen 2). It also shows how Trinidadians viewed their culture and origin. Beryl's dances and songs incorporated the various cultures. For example, on page twelve of the text, it is stated that Beryl combines African and European cultural elements, as well as Indian practices. This shows how diverse Trinidad is as its people comprise three main ethnicities. With this he decided not to show the beauty only of the already accepted and known European dances and songs and instead showedcultural minorities, an act of resistance to cultural assimilation - "the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a dominant group or take on the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group ("cultural assimilation" ) Beryl also resisted acculturation because in the meantime she adopted and mixed different cultures, she did not adapt the dominant culture, the British one, but instead used mainly African aspects despite the stereotypes the culture of the indigenous peoples and blend them together to create “unity in diversity” (Raymond 91), a unique blend that can make Trinidad independent from colonial influence. Trinidadians did not embrace their culture and preferred the European one. An example is seen in page twelve where Molly Ahye, a lead dancer of the Little Carib, states that Beryl had a dance group before Little Carib existed but kept it away from the public eye as her dance form was primarily African. At that time, this dance was unacceptable and considered “slavery activity” by intellectuals and “primitive” by the general majority. The semi-literate and illiterate people were those who were not ashamed of their origins and continued the Shouter and Shango practices from which the steel bands emerged. Ironically, the steel bands are now where Trinidad turns for its unique cultural identity. Then, on page twenty-eight, a quote from Schwartz and Schwartz states that one of her performances expressed the history of the Caribbean by showing sacrifice, pain and a cultural mix that included dances of Spanish, French, English and African roots, including Voodoo and Shango which they were performed in the more rural parts of the country far from the public because they were considered satanic. Thus calypso developed, a perfect blend of all these cultural art forms. The text continues to enlighten readers as seen on page seventy-six where readers learn that he has opened the "Folk House", his home transformed into a training center for the Little Carib that was once his family's home. Through this institution he honored great artists and cultural people who contributed to the Little Carib, he hoped to train more and his events showcased people and performances from most cultures. Another theme widely present in the text is identity. Raymond incorporated the theme of personal identity which includes the concept that one develops about oneself and changes throughout one's life. He introduced the character of Beryl through accounts of her friends and colleagues, snippets of Beryl's interviews, and articles about her, mainly in chapters one and three. Through these means readers can clearly imagine Beryl and what her personality was. According to Khan, Beryl's identity was very elusive as she did not freely share personal information and when she did it was vague. What people learned about her, however, was that she was very aware of her African/European identity as seen in her performances. Furthermore, at the age of 7/8, her garden concerts consisted of European songs and dances, an aspect of Eurocentrism, but this changed when she began to conduct research on indigenous Caribbean dances. Beryl was not only elusive but was also full of ideas and eccentric as stated by Betty Reef, an American journalist. She was also famous for her bright and extraordinary dresses that made her stand out in the crowd. From the memories of his friends, readers are also made aware of his resourceful, influential, assertive, intelligent, funny, grateful and humble nature. Beryl was also beautiful and adored by many despite her parentsdefects such as a temperamental character. Although she is a kind soul, she could be intimidating when necessary. Beryl sometimes displayed a split personality, as seen on page forty-nine, she was said to be "volatile and tempestuous", which shows that her mood will suddenly change and that she had mixed emotions. His identity was shaped by society as he gained confidence and status through his light complexion, an important class distinction, and his family's middle-class status. This also allowed her to receive an education up to tertiary level as after completing Tranquility Girl's School, she went on to study dance at Columbia University, New York, with Martha Graham. However, in New York, this proved futile as the people were black or white, with no in between. From here, however, he met the prodigious black American actor, Paul Robeson, who later made the Little Carib permanent. Beryl was aware of her diasporic double consciousness, in which people leave their home country and struggle with the decision whether to conform to their new place of residence or remain true to themselves, and she chose the latter. This shows when, in New York, he represented his roots in clothing and performance and boycotted the possibility of fame coming home and helping Trinidad. He was also resistant to colonial rule, as seen when he challenges the howler ban ordinance by including their practices in his research and choreographies performed internationally and locally and performed dances for the nomination of the federal government of the West Indies Federation whose purpose was to help the Caribbean. countries gain independence. Beryl's work also involved her family, for example, her sister Freya performed with her on occasion and her aunt and/or mother cooked and helped with costumes at the Little Carib which began and developed around the family home. Additionally, his grandson became president of the Little Carib Theatre. It can also be seen that Beryl is somewhat religious as her family attended the Tranquility Methodist Church which was brought to the Caribbean by whites trying to help the recently freed blacks. So he wasn't against everything European. Furthermore, on page seventy-eight he stated that through love, as Jesus declared to love one another, he freely donated his Folk House and the Little Carib theater to his country. Finally, readers are made aware of Beryl's habit of being "outside the norm" through the theme of gender. For example, few respectable middle-class girls would dare to pursue a career in dance and conduct research throughout Trinidad (Raymond 16). This is due to the stigma surrounding women pursuing this career that they were expected to be seductive in their movements and dress, as stated on page thirty-three of the text. However, she has endured and placed a different view on women and Caribbean culture in the minds of people who see her perform. Beryl was rightly honored for her great contributions by receiving: the Order of the British Empire in 1959; two national awards from Trinidad and Tobago: the Humming Bird gold medal in 1969 and the country's highest award, the Trinity Cross, in 1989; and an honorary doctorate from the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies in 1976. (Raymond 74) And the Little Carib has also hosted numerous anniversary celebrations featuring famous musicians, dancers and writers. It is therefore not surprising that when she died of old age, her funeral was filled with many people including family, friends, politicians, the Invaders, the popular band she promoted, Rex Nettleford, then head of the Jamaica National Dance Theater Company. and vice-chancellor of the University of.