Random thoughts on experiences and matters of interest. Hoping to foster a vibrant community of readers and contributors. It's the next iteration of Buzzing Around, which began as a school project.
August 1 is celebrated in Barbados as Emancipation Day, so today will be a bit of a history lesson.
First though, let me greet the reader/s from Singapore who helped to increase my viewership to more than 3,500. Thank you. 🎊Also shouting out the visitors from Vietnam, USA, Barbados, Canada, France and Sweden, who checked the blog in the last month.
Emancipation Day is the day on which the emancipation of black African Slaves occurred in the British colonies in 1834 - although the Act was passed the year prior. First, though, it may be useful to understand how slavery came about in Barbados - one of the first colonies established in the "New World" and unfortunately the blueprint for slavery in north American colonies. This BBC documentary provides magnificent views of rural Barbados and is a fine introduction to the concept of plantation life for those who do not know it:
The Sugar Plantations of British Barbados [Source: Whitehall Moll History Clips, June 2020]
There are many in my country who do not understand the effect of centuries of instutionalized slavery on the psyche of people today, when there is debate about reparations to these colonies for the damage done to their people by the historical practice of slavery.
Indeed, the movement in England to free the slave labourers was fuelled by uprisings and resistance throughout the colonies over the four decades prior. Barbados' most renowned rebellion occurred in April 1816 and one of its leaders became a national symbol for the fight for freedom, the Right Excellent Bussa. Here is a dramatisation of an interview with him by the local Government Information Service:
Back from the Past - Episode 1 - The Right Excellent Bussa [Source: thebgis, April 2015]
A statue called the Emancipation Statue, and commonly called the "Bussa Statue" is the location for a march and speeches every Emancipation Day - that is why I featured the Bussa interview above.
This brief clip provides another perspective on his contribution to the fight for freedom from slavery in Barbados.
National Heroes Promo - The Right Excellent Bussa [Source: thebgis, April 2018]
As always, I like to feature the work of a local artiste, this time it is spoken word by Adrian Greene:
Emancipation Poem, Adrian Greene [Source: NCF Barbados, August 2019]
Of course, I cannot sign off without a song and this is one of my faves of all time from the man voted entertainer of the 20th century, Bob Marley.
Bob Marley & the Wailers - Redemption Song [Source: Bob Marley, February 2020]
"Old Pirates, yes, they rob I. Sold I to the merchant ships, minutes after they took I from the bottomless pit..." Sounds like Bussa's experience of his capture, doesn't it? Of course, Marley goes on to sing: "But my hands were made strong by the power of the Almighty. We forward in this generation triumphantly." Those are words of hope and speak to the progress these West Indian island nations were making as they evolved politically, socially and economically in the post-colonial and post-Independence era. Thanks to the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic, we've been thrown a curve ball. Only time will tell how we progress from here.
