It is commonly believed you cannot cut yourself away from the roots of where you were born and raised. Your birthplace, where you spend your childhood, creates an eerie connection with you, and growing up, the local customs and traditions seep into your soul and body. As a result, you become an image of the locality where you are raised. If these words are anything to go by, consider the Caribbean region the most creative, colorful, entertaining, and culturally rich place on the earth.
One needs to take a look at the Caribbean people to validate the argument mentioned above. “Caribbean people believe in happiness, and living life to the fullest,” says Frederick A. Morton, Jr. explaining what it means to be the Caribbean. “And music, dance, arts, sports, and traveling are means to achieving these things,” he contends.
And we cannot help but agree with Frederick. Caribbean people have an odd way of carrying optimism in their hearts and smiles on their faces. Besides that, ‘the islanders’ are also regarded as master entertainers. We can take the two-times T20 cricket champions, the West Indies team, as an example.
This team doesn’t only play cricket on the ground but also keeps all the spectators in the stadium as well as those sticking their eyes on the television screens entertained with their unique celebration styles and dancing moves. No one can forget the Caribbean boys’ triumph over England in the final of the T20 World Cup 2016 that took place in India. It explained the Caribbean blood in multifarious ways; focused, determined, hardworking, but along the way, a jovial one that pours belief in music and dance and spreads smiles on faces around the world.
Not to mention the Caribbean crowd – no matter whatever the stadium or sports, this vociferous crowd is often a festival in itself. It dances, it sings, it chants slogans, and it enjoys every second of the match.
Moreover, the Caribbean festivals are also an excellent mirror image of what it means to be the Caribbean. Attend any such event, and you will feel as if you have jumped into a sea of cultural colors with the intermittent waves of laughter and music tunes blowing in the air, a sea you would want to drown in.
Frederick shares the same Caribbean blood as well. So, don’t expect him to be any less entertaining. In fact, he represents the determination this land inculcates in its inhabitants. He knew the Caribbean culture had amazing things to show and tell the world from his childhood. But unfortunately, there wasn’t any medium to convey these stories. Eventually, by founding TEMPO Networks, he created a bridge between the world and the Caribbean, and we know the rest of the story.
“Being Caribbean is not an uphill task,” says Frederick. “Pour some optimism into your soul, start dreaming, and enjoy the present moment in your life, and you are already halfway there!” he concluded.
