What is Culture?

When i first read the outline for this blog assignment I thought that I could write it in about 20 mins. 20 mins has turned into 2 weeks and I still cannot conclude on what I believe culture to be. I have tried many ways to approach how I may define culture, however they have all lead to unanswered questions and dead ended answers. So, instead of trying to create some type of cultural equation to satisfy my desire to understand this concept I am going to speak on what it is that I notice around me and how I see culture as it appears to be.

In Canada, culture is a widely debatable concept. Culture, firstly, is intangible but at the same time there are aspects of culture that are directly relation, i believe, to ones geographic region. For example countries with colder climates produce things that represents the activities, events and even diets that are preferred in that particular region. In the case of Canada this would be hockey and other winter sports as our cultural signifier, as well as maple syrup and that great Canadian bacon. Here in Barbados, the culture is mainly displayed through their music and dance, while their diet of home grown fruits and meats present their cultural taste.

It is ironic, however, how North American culture can completely bombarded this tiny Island. It can be seen in the market , coca cola bottles, kfc, and my favorite shampoo brand. These customs go far furthur than just an influx of North American ways of life. This country was built on the backs of slaves. Everything that I see here is a mark that was left because of its dark and brutal past. Barbados at times has even been called "little Britain", with more sun of course. There are a lot of residents here from all over the world. The colonial presence here is very apparent.

My culture, as a Jamaican woman, as a lot to do with what i learned in my household growing up with very traditional parents. My mannerisms and values derived mainly from having a mother who was strongly rooted in her religious beliefs. Through this, I adopted a way of looking at things that made me separate what i thought was acceptable from unacceptable. It also determined the type of taste that i had in music, art and literature, which in most cases were in some way all biblical(gospel, roman catholic art and literature was pretty much the bible itself. Aside from that my Jamaican roots were mainly present and practiced when it came to the food I ate and how the elders spoke. The Jamaican dialect of patois, I believe, holds a lot of culture within it because of our unique way of speaking ( mainly because we make up a lot of our own words and phrases). Being in Canada for most of my life, however, has definitely exposed me to a number of different things that makes me feel that my culture is limitless. Being Canadian makes me explore a lot more, learn new things and embrace many diverse cultures. My culture is my taste, so I suppose its fair to say that culture is very individual. Just because I am Jamaican, doesn't mean that I like reggae, or eat curry goat. I love Jazz music, Claude Monet paintings, batique art from Uganda, and Lasagna. As I learn new things, My culture will continue to change as I grow and embrace my surroundings.

Culture is different depending on what people value and what people internalize as being a part of who they are and what they prefer. I could go on and on, but as I stated earlier, this is a question with no clear cut answer, so i will end it on that note.

Go Canada Go.