Barbados is a relatively young country, having won its independence in 1966 after more than three centuries of British rule. The experience of being an oppressed people, both as a colony and as slaves, remains a live issue and Barbadians have struggled to find an identity and a voice. There is a history of deep racial division and you can find more racial intolerance on all sides than is apparent at first glance. In the 18th century, when slavery was at its peak, Africans outnumbered their British masters by three to one. Sugar provided a livelihood for everyone and Barbados was relatively quiet with few slave uprisings. This has been attributed partly to the large military and police presence on the island and the fact that there was nowhere to hide on the small island, but also to slightly better treatment of slaves by their masters than on some other islands. However, resentment grew, particularly after the Haitian Revolution and when emancipation was being debated in England. In 1814 the slaves rose up and burned the cane fields and plantation buildings in a show of defiance – an event still celebrated today. Slavery was finally abolished in 1838 but not much changed for the blacks. They ended up working as very cheap labour for their former masters and were unable to purchase land of their own. The white plantocracy remained in control of all productive land, becoming allied to a rising merchant class in Bridgetown so as to form an entrenched elite with total financial and political power. Poverty ground down the working class, whether they were black or white (known as redlegs, descended from indentured labourers and deported convicts). Tens of thousands left the country to work on the Panama Canal and those who made money and survived returned to form the nucleus of a black middle class. Resentment grew again at neglect by Britain, poor wages, poor housing and poor education and in the 1930s there were riots. Out of conflict, the seeds of a labour movement grew, led by great Barbadians such as Grantley Adams and Errol Barrow, who went on to found the two main political parties and steer the country to independence. Today, Barbados’ political leaders are black and there is a large black middle class, but the landowning and business élites remain white. There are still extremes of poverty and wealth, but these are not nearly so noticeable as elsewhere in the Caribbean, making the social atmosphere relatively relaxed. The rise of the black middle class has led the country to turn its back on the image of ’Little England’, so typical of 1950s Barbados, although traces of it remain. Moving the statue of Lord Nelson and renaming Trafalgar Square as National Heroes Square is the tip of the iceberg. A deeper debate is going on concerning abolition of the monarchy and adherence to the British justice system. Barbados, along with other islands such as Jamaica and Trinidad, wants to set up a Caribbean court of justice and eliminate the Privy Council as final arbiter. The most immediate effect of this would be to allow them to implement the death penalty without waiting for the appeals process to work its way through a foreign court. Just as the political landscape has changed, so there has also been a shift in the economy. Sugar is no longer king but has been deposed by tourism. Land formerly devoted to sugar cane has been sold for the construction of hotels and golf courses. The descendants of slaves now serve a different master, the tourist. The fact that this move to a service economy has been successful, bringing incomes on a par with Portugal or Greece, means that there is little resentment towards foreigners as has been found in parts of Jamaica or Trinidad. Holidaymakers go home with nothing but good things to say about the friendliness of Bajans and the excellent – if sometimes slow (this is the Caribbean after all) service they received in hotels and restaurants. Barbados has a population of 268,000, more than any of the Leewards or Windwards and making it one of the ’big four’ in the Anglo Caribbean community. With a population density of 1,614 per square mile it is also one of the most crowded countries in the world. Add to that over half a million stopover visitors a year and even more cruise ship passengers on day trips and you can understand the immense pressure on land. There are currently three threads in the tapestry of Bajan society and culture. While turning its back on its colonial days, Barbados has followed the trend in the region and opened the door to a neo-colonial master. From fast food chains to programmes on the television, US culture is insidious. Young Barbadians now choose to study in the USA or Canada rather than in the UK and, if they come home at all, come back full of the ideals of North America. However, Afro-Caribbean roots are of paramount importance to most Bajans, reflected in the rhythm of home grown music and festivals such as Crop Over, as well as food derived from slave rations of staples brought over from Africa. The third strand, is a legacy from Britain. However much Bajans have grown apart from the former mother country there is one love they can not shake off: cricket. In this sport mad country, everyone has an opinion on the latest matches, the team selection and the state of the West Indies side. In the rare event that you are stuck for a topic of conversation, you can rely on cricket to start a lively debate and a cricket match is symbolic of the way Bajans approach life – with fun, drama and huge enjoyment in the sport amid a cacophony of noise.
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Barbados - £7.99
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