#BTColumn – Independence Day 2022

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

By Ralph Jemmott

When King Charles III was Prince of Wales, he was complimented by a foreign dignitary on how well the British executed military and other Royal parades. His reply was, “Yes, I must admit that we do do that rather well.” Barbados’ 56th Independence Day parade held at the Kensington Oval was very well done and we were blessed with very good weather on the day.      

Kensington Oval provides a fitting venue for such occasions given the ample grounds and space for attendees to be comfortably seated and have an overall view of the entire proceeding. It is also excellent for television coverage, as the cameras can span a wide area from different vantage points. It was gratifying to see the number of school children in attendance, including the Head and Deputy Headboys and Headgirls of the primary and secondary schools who received awards. The attendance of school-age children on these formal national occasions is to be encouraged if we are to build a true and lasting sense of national identity. Overall, for a people increasingly given to disorder, the whole occasion was reassuringly very orderly executed.

The march-past of the armed forces and the unarmed groups was a joy to see. This included the traditional Landship, which always adds a unique touch of Barbadiana to the proceedings. However, one could not help but observe that there was not a single presence of a minority population representative in any of the groups on parade. Not a single Euro-Barbadian, not a single Indo-Barbadian or a Syrian Lebanese. Is Barbadian culture and nationalism being exclusively defined as Black and Afrocentric, or are these minorities deliberately opting out of these national occasions because they refuse to be identified with the Black majority?

At a time when we are proposing to widen the population by, I am told, some 80, 000 persons, we must be very careful of any negative impacts. Will these persons become at one with us or fashion their own endogamous social and cultural cocoons? Racial diversity is not always concomitant with unity. The notion of ‘out of many, one people’ may be a gross overstatement. A word to the wise.     

Congratulations to all the honorees, particularly the top three. Ralph ‘Bizzy’ Williams’ contribution to Barbadian business is perhaps matched only by his brother’s, the late Sir Charles’. Elombe Mottley’s contribution to what I have called ‘The Barbadian Cultural Renaissance’ has now been officially recognised. Mr. Ian St. Clair Carrington’s quiet demeanour and work arguably make him the least recognisable of the three, but he has been of inestimable value to this country. 

My special regards to Mr. Ambassador Dr. Christopher Hackett and Ms. Kerriesha Kimberley Skeete, whose caring regard for the elderly gentleman on the bus, hopefully, will be a positive example to other young people in this society. I am not myself hopeful. The rot is eating deeper and deeper into the core of Barbadian society. It will not be healed by vapid platitudes about ‘resilience’. Scratch the surface of bourgeois complacency and working class apathy and indifference and one sees a certain angst permeating the culture. This angst is papered over by the antics and escapism of endless entertainment and festivals, posing as ‘resilience’.

Following the pomp and circumstance, in what was described in a section of the Press as ‘a rousing’ address, Prime Minister Mottley spoke to the nation of the Government’s five goals. The ostensible purpose of which is to achieve for Barbados something called First World Status, whatever that is. This is apparently to be achieved by the year 2030, some seven short years from now. Truth be told, the prospects are not the best. Barbados is mired in debt even as we continue to borrow. The economy is yet to show the monumental growth that is talked about. Unless some minerals are discovered in the form of oil or gold or some rare earth deposits, it is highly unlikely that Barbados will show impressive economic growth over the next seven years. A revived tourism basket still remains our best bet. In the meantime, the spectre of gun crime and social disorder threatens not only our main foreign exchange earner but our own sense of comfort and ease. Beyond the talk, one is still to be assured by any of the governing authorities that we know exactly how to treat the disease of social deviance in all its forms.     

It is altogether appropriate for a leader to call for unity of effort in achieving a national vision and for all hands to be ‘on deck’ because ‘many hands make light work.’ The cynical may conclude that if the call is to be answered, then it cannot be compatible with ostensibly inadequate levels of transparency, accountability, and integrity. Too many things in Barbados appear to be consistently hidden in the shadows. Similarly, any leader must be wary of appearing to conflate the narrow political interest of the Party with the broader, sometimes countervailing, concerns of the wider population. It may be difficult to convince all but the simple-minded that we are all in this together if it is felt that too many
high-paying political jobs are going to those within the party caucus.

One of our leading newspapers chose for its Independence supplement the heading ‘A New Beginning’. The reality may be that there is a serious struggle ahead of us and that to get over this, we may have to go through it. The public record may show that more persons are falling into a state of homelessness and indigence, more are seeking welfare and charity assistance. Minister of Empowerment and Elderly Affairs Kirk Humphrey, speaking to David Ellis on Brass Tacks recently, revealed that the Barbados government now offers welfare assistance to some 8,000 persons up from 3, 000 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The poor are struggling to keep up with the high cost of living while the lower middle class is being gradually hollowed out. As Edward ‘Kamau’ Brathwaite wrote in ‘Rights of Passage’, some may be doing well but others catching hell. Let’s hope for a truly new beginning. Hope, the poet wrote, springs eternal.

Ralph Jemmott is a retired educator and regular contributor on social issues.