Hundreds participate in Emancipation Day march

Around 300 people from across Barbados and the region gathered on Friday morning for the annual Emancipation Day celebrations.

Chanting slogans and accompanied by the steady beat of African drums, participants set off from several points, including The Pine, Two Mile Hill, Norman Niles Roundabout, and Mapp Hill, converging at the Emancipation Statue—commonly known as the Bussa Statue. The procession was a vibrant display of cultural pride, unity, and remembrance.

Waving flags and dressed in traditional African attire or group uniforms, participants in the March for Emancipation and Peace represented a wide cross-section of society: Pan-African organisations, religious and cultural groups, government officials, and members of the public. Among the groups present were the Orthodox Ethiopian Church, Youth Advanced Corps, Girl Guides, Israel Lovell Foundation, as well as Muslim and Rastafari representatives, a rollerblading troupe, delegates from Suriname, and dancers from Twisted All Stars Gym Barbados.

 

At the statue, symbolic offerings were laid as spiritual leaders led blessings. The atmosphere was reflective but celebratory, filled with chants, drumbeats, and cultural expression.

Delivering the feature address, Prime Minister Mia Mottley reminded attendees that the Bussa Statue, erected 40 years ago, stands as a symbol of national struggle and ongoing progress.

“We take for granted today the tribulations and the conversation that led to the erection of this statue,” she said. “It reminds us of our journey and how far we have come, but yet how far we still have to go.”

Mottley urged Barbadians to reflect during what she described as a pivotal moment: “This year represents the first year of the last decade to the 200th anniversary of emancipation. And that 200 years, for some, will seem like two, because if the veins of injustice continue to run through wherever they are found, then emancipation remains an elusive dream.”

She encouraged Barbadians to free their minds from modern-day forms of oppression.

“The real difficult battle comes in understanding how we can reach the scale in getting our people to emancipate their minds. The whips and the battleships are not the modern enemy, it is the algorithms and the unseen and the cancer of indifference.”

 

She also spoke out against skin bleaching and Eurocentric beauty standards, calling for a return to self-love and cultural rootedness grounded in Ubuntu—the African philosophy of shared humanity: “I am because we are.”

“Our ancestors did not seek to free us for us to be imprisoned in our spirits or our homes. Hurt people hurt people—we must face that truth,” she said.

Citing national heroes such as Bussa, Nanny Grigg, Clement Payne, and Errol Barrow, the prime minister told Barbadians, “The task is not too big. It is ours to run our leg of the relay.”

 

The day’s activities continued with Kilombo: The Emancipation Village, a family event featuring food, music, crafts, and wellness sessions.