Season 1 (1991)

Jamaican-born Stuart Hall looks at the history of the Caribbean islands through interviews with modern inhabitants. 1: The diary of slaver Thomas Thistlewood provides a view of the British in the Caribbean 200 years ago, a history leaving an impression on cricketer Wes Hall. 2: The African heritage of Haiti, exemplified by Andre Pierre, an artist and voodoo priest. Looks at Haiti’s history to see why it was once the world’s only black republic. Haiti is compared with Jamaica, home of Bob Marley, reggae and Rastafarianism. 3: The Spanish legacy in today’s Caribbean, in particular Santo Domingo. Being the ruins of imperial Spain is a country in dire straits, where baseball and drugs are usually the only ways to escape poverty. 4: Martinique was obliterated by a volcanic explosion on 8 May 1902. Now rebuilt, the dilemma for its people and the people of Guadalupe is how to enjoy the benefits of being French without losing a sense of their own Caribbean identity. 5: Examines tensions between black and Asian populations in Trinidad and Guyana, which arose after slavery was abolished and Indians were brought in as indentured workers. 6: Looks at Cuba’s relationship with the rest of the Caribbean. Links with the USA continue although Fidel Castro has been in power for 30 years. 7: Looks to the future: drugs and corruption threaten the islands’ stability and tourism and television sap their identity.

7 episodes