THE Caribbean is a region which shares a common culture and a common history. It is a region which experienced European invasion and American domination and has sprung into a vibrant region with exquisite culture and vast potential. These Caribbean countries have merged into a regional conglomerate exploiting its natural resources, excellent climate conditions, and hospitability of its people in order to compete on the global market.

It is believed that the Caribbean region possesses some of the world’s most heavily indebted countries and this is why Caribbean integration is necessary to shift the existing economic problems towards economic solutions as an effort to promote economic growth and development within the region. Caribbean integration will afford countries to reach some level of international competitiveness.

Poverty, unemployment, migration, drug trafficking, and crime are sad but prevalent problems our region faces today. Natural disasters threaten the economic stability of the region limiting and slowing down growth. For this reason Caribbean countries must unite and collaborate as a team to achieve macro-economic stability which is a start for economic change. Achieving economic stability will benefit the Caribbean by opening the door to opportunities, such as attracting more investments, etc. In order to compete with the global market the Caribbean needs a unified and common market for goods and services, capital, and skilled manpower.

As H. E. Edwin Carrington, CARIFESTA V, 1992 states, “The cultural dimension……..provides the basis for our development both as a region and as nation states. And recognising that, we can then begin to encourage the growth of our cultural industries, quantify the earnings from the marketing of our cultural goods and services, recognize the field of culture and the arts for the catalyst that it is, and devote the resources necessary to its sustenance so as to allow it to realize its potential in fostering the growth of our peoples, socially, economically and politically.”

Let us exert our cultures and emerge into a trading bloc for goods and services. Let our history be a remembrance to us, that we have survived the struggles of the past and will continue to survive through integration and work together to build our nations
MARISSA LOWDEN