Almost 400 years of British reign in Barbados ended on November 30th, as the island officially cut ties with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and became a republic nation.
It was one of the most important days in history for the island once dubbed as “Little England” — and for the Caribbean as well. The region has not witnessed a country declare republic status since the 1970s, when Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana severed ties with the monarch.
The official ceremony, which also marked the island’s 55th anniversary of Independence from Britain, was attended by several CARICOM leaders and dignitaries, including Ambassador Rihanna and Prince Charles.
Rihanna, a native of Barbados, was declared the island’s 11th national hero by Prime Minister Mia Mottley. At 33-years-old, she is the youngest person to be bestowed the honor.
For his part, Prince Charles denounced Britain’s legacy of the slave trade and congratulated Barbados on their new status.
“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,” Charles said.
“Emancipation, self-government and independence were your way-points. Freedom, justice and self-determination have been your guides. Your long journey has brought you to this moment, not as your destination, but as a vantage point from which to survey a new horizon,” he added.
The journey to becoming a republic began decades ago, in the 1960s, when the island’s first Prime Minister, now national hero, Errol Barrow cautioned Barbados against “loitering on colonial premises”. That same quote was used by Barbados’ Governor General Sandra Mason in 2020, when she announced that the island would become a republic by the end of this year. Mason, 72, was sworn in on Tuesday as the island’s first President – the new head of state. She was nominated for the post by Prime Minister Mottley and leader of the opposition, Joseph Atherley.
“As cautioned by our first prime minister … we ought no longer to be found loitering on colonial premises,” Mason reiterated. “We must seek to redefine our definition of self, of state, and the Barbados brand, in a more complex, fractured and turbulent world. … Our country and people must dream big dreams and fight to realize them.”
Mason is an attorney and judge who also has served as ambassador to Venezuela, Colombia, Chile and Brazil. She was also the first woman admitted to the bar in Barbados.
It comes as no surprise that Barbados declared republic status, given their moves over the last two decades. In 2005, Barbados dropped the London-based Privy Council and chose the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice as its final court of appeal. In 2008, it proposed a referendum on the issue of becoming a republic, but it was pushed back indefinitely. Last year, Barbados removed a statue of British Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson from National Heroes Square, the location of this year’s festivities.
The declaration, spearheaded by Prime Minister Mottley, has triggered conversations in other CARICOM islands. A former Prime Minister of St Lucia, Dr Kenny Anthony, this week, urged the government of St Lucia to move towards republic status. Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said he looks forward to the day when other CARICOM countries will adopt a republican form of government.
Singing a similar tune was former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding who said that he was disappointed that Jamaica has not yet cut ties with the Queen. Jamaica is the only island in the Caribbean’s “big four” (Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago), which has not yet achieved republic status.
It’s a new era for Barbados, but the island still maintains its identity. Barbados’ name, flag, coat of arms and the national anthem will remain the same, but the island will no longer make references to the monarch or royal family. The Royal Barbados Police Force will become the Barbados Police Service and “crown lands” will become “state lands.”
