Despite British arrival to the islands, the greatest cultural influences from their rule over the islands came in the form of slavery. Sugarcane made its way to Antigua & Barbuda and with sugarcane manual labor is needed. As much of the local Carib population had died, the British brought in slaves from Africa in large numbers to work the sugarcane industry, soon making ethnic Africans a substantial majority on the islands.
As the land and slave owners, the British maintained aspects of their culture, but the Africans also changed the culture substantially. Most people today speak English and most of the population is religiously Anglican, however African-influenced music, dance, dress, and food are also important parts of the culture today. The culture has changed over time, but these two driving influences remain as the culture is still rooted in British structure, order, and communication, while African socialization rules.
Although the culture is every developing, the lifestyle on the islands is still reliant on the lands as most people today continue to live off the land and the sea. The islands have also gained a growing diversity as tourism has increased and the services industry is rapidly growing to cater to this developing source of income.