The Caribbean civilization can lose its heritage-the very essence of our culture, unless there is a conscious effort to promote and uplift all that makes us uniquely Caribbean.{{more}}

“One of the things which globalization seeks to do is to homogenize the world, make our culture appear not to be important any more, and to destroy everything that is local,” said Dr Gonsalves earlier this week at a press conference.

While he encouraged Caribbean people to do what is necessary to capitalize on whatever benefits that globalization may bring, Dr Gonsalves said that there needs to be a “creative resistance” to the negatives of the new world order.

Dr Gonsalves lamented that even foods that are a part of Vincentian culture could be replaced by a barrage of fast foods from North America.

He said that he expects huge companies like the American Coffee giants Starbucks to come, making the roadside cup of coffee something of the past.

“I say inoculate yourself against that virus of the foreign intrusion, declaring your civilization to be authentic, to be unique, to have a trajectory for further advancement,” he said.

Dr Gonsalves said that while he doesn’t purport that as a Caribbean people that we are better than anyone else, indeed, no one is better than we.