There's no simple way for me to characterize the emotions evoked by Barbados' official declaration of parliamentary republic status this week. My great-great-grandfather, Walter O.A. M. Collymore Sr., emigrated to the U.S. from Barbados in the late 19th century. Alongside generations of lifelong Barbados residents, our diaspora maintains enormous pride in Bajan culture and traditions.
The former British colony's declaration removes Queen Elizabeth II as Barbados' head of state, with Sandra Mason taking office as Barbados' president. Barbados first declared its independence from Great Britain in 1965, but it wasn't until September of last year that the transition to a republic was formalized.
Barbados remains a republic within the British commonwealth, along with Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Monserrat and other Caribbean nations. Unlike Barbados, those countries continue to recognize Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.
"The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind," said Mason during the November 29 ceremony at which the change was made official. "Barbadians want a Barbadian head of state."
In some ways, Barbados' republic status will be of immeasurable intrinsic value as the nation continues a centuries-long transition from its colonial past. It has been nearly four centuries since King James I first claimed sovereignty over Barbados in 1625.
After first using British indentured servants as plantation labor, the English imported an estimated 600,000 enslaved Africans to work the island's sugar plantations between 1627 and 1833. Barbados quickly became the model for plantations across the Caribbean, generating vast fortunes for colonizing nations.
England's Prince Charles, the heir apparent to Britain's throne, attended the transition ceremony and in a speech acknowledged slavery's impact. "From the darkest days of our past, and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history, the people of this island forged their path with extraordinary fortitude," he said.
There is a diversity of opinion even among Bajan people and their descendants about what the declaration means in a larger sense, both for Barbados' future and that of other Caribbean nations. Many residents, particularly those from older generations, maintain a significant level of respect for the monarchy, aware that Britain is integral to Bajan history in positive ways.
Visitors strolling across the largely tranquil island today will find numerous colonial-era landmarks, including the Garrison Historic. Other parts of the island are named after the queen and her ancestors. U.K. residents have traditionally composed the country's largest leisure visitor source.
Yet Barbados' republic movement is borne of sentiment which recognizes the British monarchy's actions in the country caused inestimable damage. In some quarters, Barbados' achievement is seen as linked to republican sentiment in other Caribbean countries, including Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where political figures have recently addressed the issue.
I prefer to think that by taking this step, Barbados is not seeking to erase or obscure its colonial past but to continue its acknowledgment, while emphasizing the country's hard-won right to self-determination, a right due to - but still not shared by - all citizens of the world.
"The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind," Mia Mottley, Barbados' prime minister, said in 2020. "This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving."
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