#BTColumn – Rebranding Independence Day

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

By Lenrod Nzulu Baraka

For weal or for woe the government of Barbados chose November 30 as the date for transitioning Barbados from a constitutional monarchy to a republic. The choice of November 30 for the historic switch pretty much settles the date on which Barbados should celebrate Republic Day. Since Independence Day and Republic day fall on the same date, November 30 should speak to both events. Celebrating Republic Day on another day would be a historical anomaly analogous to annually celebrating a birthday on another day other than one’s actual birthday.

The drama of the past week clearly demonstrates that many Barbadians are emotionally attached to their Independence Day. In hindsight the government of Barbados should have recognized this and proactively acted to allay the fears of Barbadians who were concerned about eroding historic landmarks. The rebranding of November 30 is however less about historical revisionism and more about enriching the historical significance of the date.

Independence Day will always live on in the history of Barbados. The rebranding process cannot change established historical facts. Calling November 30 Barbados National Day or by a more meaningful name does not in any way diminish the stellar work of Errol Walton Barrow. A well thought out branding name for the day would instead give greater depth of meaning to the day reflecting the new evolutionary path that the nation has embarked upon.

Since Barbadians have demonstrated an emotional investment in their Independence Day any new name chosen for the day should maintain the concept of independence and the word day. The concept of the evolution to a Republic needs to be skillfully interwoven with any new name chosen for the celebration of November 30. Just off the top of my head I would probably go with Independence Day 2,0. Another suggestion would be to tweak the word Independence making it Independent then adding the word Republic between Independent and Day to arrive at Independent Republic Day. 

Independent Republic Day would boldly declare our new status as an independent Republic to the world while also pointing back to the historic date of our national independence in 1966. Independent Republic Day should also align with the nostalgically inclined who continue to be emotionally attached to their Independence Day. Independent Republic Day may take a little longer to say but it should considering the added historical component attached to the day. 

From a historical point of view it should be noted that Barbados joins Haiti in celebrating both Independence Day and Republic Day on the same date. The difference between Barbados and Haiti celebrating both days on the same date lies in the fact that when Haiti declared its independence from France in 1804, Haiti also declared itself to be a Republic at the same time. Haiti therefore does not have the challenge now confronting Barbados. 

Independence Day and Republic Day falls on different dates in all the other Republics in the Caribbean. The two days fall in the same month in Trinidad and Tobago but on different dates. The government of Barbados has chosen to do thing the hard way subsequently exposing the nation to a challenging rebranding exercise which logically now should take place. 

Lenrod Nzulu Baraka is the founder of Afro-Caribbean Spiritual Teaching Center.