Barbados is moving to celebrate some of its prominent personalities in a visual way.
Minister of Culture and Sports, Stephen Lashley, this morning revealed that discussions with officials from both ports of entry as well as the private sector were set to begin shortly with the aim of erecting billboards with the likeness of these Barbadians.
Speaking at a celebration for some of the island’s top athletes at his office in Sky Mall, Haggatt Hall, St Michael, the minister said that these billboards would not solely be posters of sporting achievers but would be of artistes and other creative persons who had contributed much to the island.
“I believe that the walls at the airport are too bland and when we have such illustrious stars in Barbados we should be celebrating them. We should have all the huge billboard photographs appropriately adorning our airport and it is also my wish that in working alongside the private sector that we should have some billboards too along our major highway – the ABC,” the minister said.
Lashley referred to a trip to Colombo a few years ago when he had no doubts about the country’s celebrated individuals while driving through.
“There were huge billboard signs of the members of the Sri Lanka cricket team and there is no reason why we can’t do the same thing in Barbados. We really need to acknowledge [our athletes] in a more visual way,” he added.
Recently, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Shane Brathwaite made a call for posters of Barbadian sportsmen and women to be displayed at the Grantley Adams International Airport.
Brathwaite said he had been surprised to see large pictures of himself at an airport in Mexico. He has won two gold medals in that country. (SDB Media)
