Life and Debt

Life and Debt is a perfect example of colonialism. The Jamaicans were indebted to the United States, and these debts kept on increasing. The Americans lend some money to the Jamaicans, and gave them conditions that the Jamaicans wouldn't place tariffs on the American goods being imported to Jamaica, there should be no subsidies, and the Americans also gave some other conditions, so they're products would be cheaper than that of the Jamaicans.
The Americans did all that so they could get the upper hand in the economy, and then dominate the Jamaicans economically so that they could be a colony of Americans.
There are so many forms of colonialism, a country can have a colony through war (violence), while some can have a colony by threats. The most peaceful way to colonize is through the economy.

The Americans had the upper hand, because the Jamaicans were heavily indebted to the Americans, and they were too poor to pay back the money. So the Americans started imposing their own rules and regulations, in they economy. Eventually they gained complete control of the Jamaican economy and used it as a way to dominate the Jamaicans, and be incharge.
Part of the actions that the Americans took was to sell their products cheaper so that the Jamaicans would run out of business.
If the Jamiacans want to challenge it, they have two options: It's either they boycott all American products or they sell their own products cheaper.

The connections between this film and other cluster is "A small place" by Jamaica Kincaid. Some of the quotes in the story were also mentioned in the film, and for a second I thought it was the movies of the book.