I think the scenes where the Europeans discuss the fate of the island and the people who inhabit it, all for the sake of the English having sugar for their tea --is an excellent representation of the exploitation that occurred in the Caribbean. Early in the film, Walker says that Queimada means "to burn" and that it was named so because of the time it was burned for economic gain by the Portuguese. This became ironic to me when Walker decided to once again set the island on fire. His decision is fueled not by individual advantages, but by the influence Britain and other European nations have on islands like Queimada. It's hard to see these scenes and realize that they're probably not too far from reality, but I think Queimada does a great job explaining many of the realities of life in colonized countries.