#BTEditorial – Low-key Independence celebrations this year

We found out, officially, just Wednesday that the annual Independence Day Parade will be held at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex in Black Rock, St Michael this year.

The press conference at which that announcement was made came a day after images of a practice session at the location were published by the media.

As is their right, members of the public raised questions about whether the parade route and location had been changed.

Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams explained that Kensington Oval, where the parade moved to in 2018 after traditionally being held at the Garrison Savannah, was unavailable because of an upcoming cricket series, and after visiting various sites the organisers decided the sports complex was the most suitable location.

Abrahams said: “This year, as you are aware, there’s a pending series between West Indies and England to be played at Kensington Oval. So Kensington was unavailable for use for the parade because of possible damage to the field and it also could not accommodate the rehearsals. So we had to look for a new venue . . . The default venue was to go back to the Garrison Savannah but anybody who has passed and visited the Garrison Savannah over the last couple of weeks or months will see that the Savannah is dug up; there’s some construction going on there and some remedial works going on there.”

Since 1966, Independence Day has been the same date on the calendar every year. Whatever day November 30 falls on is Independence Day. Test cricket schedules are known way in advance. West Indies playing England in a one-day series can be no secret, especially to the government which manages the facility under the Kensington Oval Management Inc. (KOMI) company. After all, it is international cricket, not even local Barbados Cricket Association matches.

Therefore, an alternative location should have been sought early and communicated to the public. The national parade attracts hundreds every year who come out to witness the spectacle. Patriotic Bajans dressed in national wear look forward to and enjoy such occasions.

In finding out about the change, many have said it would be a challenge for them since the location is not central. What really is the rationale for using a facility that holds no real national significance for such an occasion such as this? Couldn’t Independence Square and the surrounding area be used? Wouldn’t it be fitting to parade by the statue of the Father of Independence? What about Queen’ s Park? And then there is the question of the absence of the early Independence Day press conferences which were held in 2021 and 2022. Why was there none this year? From the end of October, or the start of November, Bajans were made fully aware of the calendar of national Independence events.

In 2021, there was an eagerness as the government’s intention to make the transition to a republic was evident. So, we were all told that there would be an official ceremony, with then Prince Charles in attendance. We also knew that the night would culminate with a concert.

At last year’s presser, Minister Abrahams announced that November 30 would be referred to as Barbados National Day. As was the case when we moved to become a republic, Bajans heard for the first time that a decision had been made to replace the name that had been dear to all of us for decades.

We were told, without consultation, that the title Independence Day was no more. We were told of this change one year after Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley herself told us that the day would remain as is. Bajans protested and the change was rescinded.

But for some reason, after the hype of 2021 and the attempt to remove Independence Day last year, this year things have gone cold. There is no real national buzz being led by the powers that be. To date, there has been no word on the annual Independence concert. We do not know if there will be one; when or where it will be held.

Why didn’t Minister Abrahams use the press conference to talk about the upcoming Independence activities and not just the parade? Why are Bajans left in the dark as it relates to a national holiday that we have all been taught is significant in our island’s history? And why only on Wednesday, with just a week before Independence Day, did Bajans have to find out, through vigilant media, that the parade would not be at Kensington Oval? Why is there no buzz, energy or excitement behind this year’s national Independence activities? Why does it seem, to many, that this year’s Independence celebrations are extremely low-key?