ON THE ISSUE highlighted by Ralph Williams, I totally agree with him – and I am a Barbadian of African descent, or, perhaps I should say a descendant of slaves.
Barbados was never a “free black” country and will never be, not when the economic wealth is still in the hands of a minority group in Barbados. According to David Comissiong, well known Pan Africanist, this is still the reality in Barbados, which suggests that a people without economic power cannot really be viewed as truly independent. I wonder what any Negro Barbadian would really be celebrating during this year of Independence.
I also find Trevor Prescod’s views on Williams’ “Hurt”, even more laughable. If the existing economic class structure has been in existence for 300 years, then any right thinking Negro Barbadian must ask what we have really achieved. If you’ve replaced Caucasian administrators with Negro ones, but have kept the status quo and statutes in place and virtually unchanged, then you really have achieved nothing.
Finally, Barbados was an ad hoc colony solely established to provide Britain with a commodity (sugar). After the decline of sugar, Barbados was abandoned because it had outlived its usefulness. Barbados has never been a “black” country.
– RYAN H. DRAKES
