Barbados is a republic: “Little England” is separated from the Queen

Level: 8:14 am| Study time: 3 minutes

BFor the 55th Independence Day, Arbatos accepted a new government – the Caribbean island that abandoned the British monarchy and declared itself a parliamentary republic. In the presence of the British heir to the throne, Prince Charles, Judge Sandra Mason was sworn in as Barbados’ first female president and new head of state on Tuesday night.

Shortly after midnight, a gun salute to Mason and a parade of civil servants took place in National Heroes Square in the capital, Bridgetown.

For 200 years – until a year ago – there was no statue of British Admiral Horacio Nelson. Amid protests against racism and colonialism around the world, the government removed the statue from Central Square, which pays homage to the country’s heroes.

“When we do not know who we are; Prime Minister Mia Motley has said that if we do not know what we want to fight for, we will be exploited and colonized again.

The break with the crown was announced two months ago. “It is time to leave our colonial past behind us completely,” Modi said in his annual Throne address.

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Mason read the address from his previous position as Governor-General of the Island State – that is, as the Queen’s representative. In October, the Barbados parliament elected a 72-year-old man to the newly created presidency. Modley is the head of government.

“Government and People’s Matter”

Buckingham Palace’s reaction was alarming: “This is a matter for the government and people of the Commonwealth,” it said in September 2020. Prince Charles, who represented his 95-year-old mother in Barbados, stressed there: some things will change, but some things will remain the same – for example “close and trusting partnership” and shared values.

The Commonwealth of Independent States is a loose association of states formed from Britain’s former colonies. The organization is headed by Queen Elizabeth II. Barbados gained independence from Great Britain on November 30, 1966, but the Queen remains the head of state until now. Most recently in 1992, Mauritius, a member of the Commonwealth, seceded from the monarchy.

The first Englishmen came to Barbados 394 years ago. Soon they enriched themselves by growing sugar through African slaves. In her book “The First Community of Black Slaves” from 2016, Barbadian historian Hillary Beckles described the island between 1636 and 1876 as “the most systematically violent, brutal and inhumane society of modern times”.

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Because of this history, there are calls for compensation and a referendum against the arrival of Prince Charles in Barbados, activist Suleiman Bulbulia wrote in the British newspaper “The Guardian” on Monday. At the same time, the country of about 300,000 people is also known as “Little England” due to the strong influence of British culture.

“Of course, Barbados will maintain a close relationship with England,” Bulbulia said. But this is a new era. “For Little England, this method can be called a new nickname.”