Hi Eliana,

I am in no position to address some of the issues you brought up but they are indeed interesting. In the Caribbean however the 'Browning Culture' has long been added to the existing list of cultures. Professor Verene Shepherd has done invaluable work on this issue as well as a number of other historians of colour.

Slavery and colonialism instituted not only a physical warfare in the form of chains for Black People but also a psychological one where 'Black People' were indoctrinated to believe that 'Black' was associated with 'Satan'. Fanon, in his (1967) work argued that 'Black' symbolized 'evil and ugliness' and that in the eyes of the White Man, Blacks were considered to possess both 'physical and moral dirtiness'. As a race Blacks were believed to have only one function,that of : 'symbolizing the lowest emotions, the baser inclinations, the dark side of the soul '. If we are clear on these things whatever we may want to believe as Black People or people of colour our self- esteem has been stretched to the limit.

Blacks were brainwashed according to Fanon (1967) to believe that they were inferior and were 'cannibals', suffered intellectual deficiency,fetism and racial deficit. Accepting this belief helped Black People to accept themselves according to the literature as 'bad... mean ugly savages'.

Some Blacks according to Resis (2006) were forced to despise their race, culture and skin colour because to be Black was equivalent to being 'cursed' and bearing the "curse of Cain' which was enslavement.

While some Blacks rejected their own race and despised their skin colour others valued Blackness. Jamaican Reggae artist Buju Banton in the 1980s sang

Mi luv mi car,

Mi love mi house ,

Mi luv mi money and thing

But most of all mi luv mi Browning (Banton (1982) lyrics from Luv Mi Browning).

There is no doubt about the strength of the 'Browning Culture' in some territories. The upsurge of bleaching creams under the guise of Fade Cream, Skin Lightening Creams, Skin Toning Creams and the wide upsurge of locally made potions to remove 'Blackness' indicates that Light is the 'New White'. You may not want to say Brown but to be 'White is to be right', in many territories and if it is not natural it can be achieved from creams in a jar.

Even though Nardo Ranks, Jamaican Reggae singer sang praise to those who love their skin colour when he sang

Gyal mi honor yuh kause yuh nah bleach yu skin,

Yuh nak use nuh kemical fi look like a 'Browning', (Lyrics from Gyal mi honor yuh)

the 'Browning Culture' has long been institutionalized in most territories and lightness in skin colour has the support of Multi- National Corporations who flood every nook and cranny with skin bleaching creams.

Hi Eliana,

I am not so sure defining a 'List of Cultures' for you can be meaningful outside of the context I used it. However in keeping with the context at the end of the Slavery era the literature tells us that Jamaica became a 'Classist Society' and the country became structured along Colour Lines. The Whites and Near Whites occupied positions of power and had wealth and were considered to be the 'Haves'. Edward Seaga former Prime Minister of Jamaica and now Chancellor of the University of Technology has explored this issue thoroughly. Below the Whites and Near Whites came the High Browns, Medium Browns, Light Browns and Dark Browns. It must be remembered that bleaching is essential to helping some of the population take their place in the colour-class structured society.

The range of Brown people were able to maintain their status position through education. Poor uneducated Blacks, usually seen as the 'Have-Nots' according to Omeally-Nelson, could move up in the Class System by excelling academically.

Money in conjunction with skin colour was and still is the defining features of progress in Jamaica.

The hierarchy of Skin Colour Cultures that I have indicated ranged then and and still does now from Whites, Near Whites, referred to as 'High Browns', followed by all shades of Brown and 'Blacks' who are poor and uneducated and found themselves at the bottom of the Colour hierarchy then and now .