Renewed call for two new national heroes

Calls have been renewed for the addition of two individuals to Barbados’ list of National Heroes and for the renaming of a major St Michael roundabout in their honour.

The appeal was made by General Secretary of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, David Denny, during a press conference on Tuesday at the Clement Payne Monument.

“Today is a very important day. It’s a day where we in Barbados celebrate our National Heroes and I assembled here next to Clement Payne for a specific reason,” he said.

He pointed to the role of Clement Payne in the 1937 labour uprising, stating: “He came to Barbados and he educated the working class and he organised and mobilised, and his work led to the organising of political organisations, trade unions, and other working class organisations.”

Denny argued that one of Payne’s key lieutenants, Israel Lovell, deserved formal national recognition. “Today I want to use that opportunity to call for Israel Lovell to be named as a national hero of Barbados, because of his contribution and because of his work and because of his commitment to that 1937 period… Israel is deserving of that kind of recognition.”

He also renewed calls for recognition of Nanny Grigg, highlighting her role in the Bussa Rebellion.

“Nanny Grigg, a revolutionary woman, played a major role in the Bussa Rebellion in terms of helping to educate the slaves and also to teach the slaves about what was happening in our sister nation Haiti,” he said. “We recognise Bussa as the father of Barbados and therefore the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration are calling on the government to recognise Nanny Grigg as a national hero so that she too can be seen as the mother of Barbados.”

Beyond the National Heroes list, Denny called for the renaming of the J.T.C Ramsay Roundabout, also known as the Bussa Roundabout. “We feel that the Government of Barbados should listen to the people of Barbados because the people of Barbados have renamed the roundabout,” he said. “Do the official thing by renaming the roundabout the Bussa and Nanny Grigg Roundabout so that we can also give recognition to a female in Barbados.”

He maintained that the proposals formed part of a broader push to deepen national awareness and participation in the observance. “We will continue to support this day as a national day of celebration, and we will do whatever it takes to help to create the conditions for Barbadian people to do a lot more on this day.”

Calls to expand the list of National Heroes have surfaced over the years, with historians and cultural commentators arguing that the current slate does not fully reflect the breadth of Barbados’ social and political development. Barbados currently recognises 11 National Heroes under the National Heroes Act, with the most recent addition being Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Robyn Rihanna Fenty, who was conferred the honour on November 30, 2021.

(SZB)