ON THE OCCASION of the First Convention of The Barbados Co-operative Credit Union League Ltd, October 1989, the then Dr Hilary Beckles was invited to deliver a speech entitled The Question Of Economic Democracy In Barbados Today.
In it, he opined that “symbolic changes are important”. He was referring to the prominence that Broad Street held then as a status of true economic power in Barbados, and the need for black-owned business to share in this treasured real estate.
I reflect on this quarter-century-old declaration, and its absolute relevance to an issue Sir Hilary now finds himself the centre of once again. That issue is, of course, the situation of a statue, the likeness of which we are told is that of one Horatio Nelson, overlooking Broad Street.
I agree with the importance of symbolism in general, as do the Jews who believe in the symbolic placing of a holocaust memorial in every major city in the world – lest anyone ever forgets the atrocities of Hitler’s Germany. No one can fault the Jews for this powerful symbolism. Of course, there are no monuments to Hitler, but he remains an important chapter in the history books.
This Nelson character has earned a place in history, perhaps not a whole chapter, but a part thereof. What he has not earned is the symbolic placement of his likeness overlooking the most prominent business street on the island. Nelson was a racist advocate of slavery who did nothing deliberately to benefit those of African descent.
Sir Hilary also posited that democratic freedom was more than political freedom. It is more than occupying Parliament Buildings. It is economic freedom. We cannot proclaim economic democracy when we are still symbolically locked out of Broad Street, and even worse, the statue of a racist overseer continues to stand guard.
Nelson’s Statue must be relegated to museum status at the very least. Let the tourists who are interested pay to see him.
– VERNON ROBINSON