The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.
By Suleiman Bulbulia
It was at the stroke of midnight on November 30th, 2021 that Barbados finally broke its 396-year political ties with its former coloniser, the United Kingdom.
National Heroes Square in our UNESCO World’s Heritage designated capital city of Bridgetown could not have been a better location for the event. A historic space for a historic occasion.
The night was cool, the atmosphere electric. A few sprinkles of rain so unlike previous November 30ths, when torrential downpours seemed to trademark our Independence celebrations from 1966 to 2016 at our 50th celebrations.
The COVID-19 pandemic, while preventing mass gatherings and crowds witnessing this momentous occasion, allowed for technology to replace that live interaction. It was vastly different 55 years ago when Barbados took the bold step of Independence.
Those who didn’t make it to the Garrison on that historic night had to wait until the newspapers carried the stories and the pictures the next day.
This time it was live and direct and beamed across the globe and perhaps into the universe. Barbadians, I am sure, wherever in the world they were that night, logged on to the various platforms to witness history in the making. News media throughout the world covered this event as though some major country was becoming a republic.
The significance of the coverage the moment received cannot be underscored. It is not often that countries go this route. Nepal in 2008, and Mauritius in 1992 were the last two.
The Prime Minister has constantly emphasised that this moment is but a next step in Barbados’ journey. It is not the end, but the beginning; the beginning of the new era for Barbados and Barbadians.
We must embrace it as such. The reality is that many who are facing the challenges of the pandemic and resulting economic, social, and health fallouts are finding it difficult to do justice to this momentous occasion. And that is understandable.
It was business as usual on December 1st, back to the real world of trying to make a living under the new Republic.
That is the sobering reality. But amidst all that, Barbadians, by and large, did pause on November 30th at midnight and throughout the day to celebrate this next step in our nation’s journey.
I felt the confidence that night in National Heroes Square, amidst the hushed silence as the Tower Clock of Parliament struck midnight and the bell tolled its familiar chimes.
Usually, it is a background sound as persons in its vicinity carry on their business. This night was different. It was a countdown to something that would change us forever. The silence was eerie as each of the 12 slow, measured strokes of the bell echoed in us in eager anticipation of what was next.
It was history in the making, in a space that has so much history. National Heroes Square, formerly Trafalgar Square, has witnessed much in the heart of our capital.
Barbados’ first nations people, the Arawak, probably roamed here freely, erecting a bridge over what is now known as Constitution River and where we are told the British settlers called Indian Bridge, eventually evolving into Bridgetown.
But this space has an ugly history. It was the area of immense trauma and injustice during the centuries of the mid-Atlantic slave period. Here thousands of enslaved Africans were landed and paraded for slave owners.
A horror we can’t even begin to imagine. A re-creation at the decommissioning of the Nelson Statue last year sent chills down my spine as I heard the screams and wailing of the actors and actresses setting the scene for what went on in these environs.
It is our space now, sacred for some, where we can celebrate our heroes and where we can celebrate our Republic. Lord Horatio Nelson no longer overlooks it.
Added to this are the new Golden Square Freedom Park, the renewed Queen’s Park, Independence Square, and Jubilee Gardens. Hopefully,
Barbadians and visitors alike will embrace these spaces in our city as places of historic significance and ensure they are kept clean and accessible to all.
The National Anthem that night had new meaning. Our national symbols, largely unchanged, also had new meanings.
Collectively they reflect a Barbados boldly continuing in the world as its newest Republic, recognising its past and confident of its future.
Barbadians must be proud of the grandeur of the event put on that night at the Inauguration of our first President.
From parade to cultural events, Barbados was showcased to the world as capable of transitioning. “Little England” has certainly grown up and matured. Despite our size, a mere dot on the world map, we have proven our worth, our value, and our strength.
The celebrations now over, the work continues on this journey as a republic. What is the Barbados we want for ourselves free of the vestiges of our colonial past but still very much haunted by its legacy? There will be difficult conversations that we have to engage in. Some have started already.
I am humbled and honoured to be part of this process and to play a part, even small, in helping to build an even better Barbados. We have to forge alliances, work together and cooperate to ensure success. I am sincerely grateful for the National Honor I received on Independence Day. I thank all those who have helped me along the journey.
We achieve through the help of the Almighty and from those who share with us and contribute to our successes. I thank Almighty God, my parents, my wife and children, my family and friends, my colleagues, the community I serve, and the Nation I am part of.
God, our Creator, continued blessings and guidance be on Barbados and Barbadians.
Suleiman Bulbulia is a Justice of the Peace; Secretary of the Barbados Muslim Association; Muslim Chaplain at the Cave Hill Campus, UWI and Chair of the Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition. Email: suleimanbulbulia@hotmail.com
