The Caribbean’s influence on pop culture went far beyond music in 2015. In a way that was broader and more tangible than in any other recent year, island culture made its presence felt in the realm of books, art, sports, media and politics.
A Jamaican author won one of literature’s most prestigious prizes. The New York Times noted the emerging “New Caribbean Food Movement.” Rihanna made sure all of her fans, and just about everybody else in the world, got a taste of Barbados during Crop Over. And seemingly the whole world booked tickets to Cuba and Jamaica, as two of the region’s largest nations welcomed major new developments sure to boost travel arrivals for years to come.
Here’s 15 ways the Caribbean infiltrated pop culture in 2015.