“Barbados is more than an economy, it is a society.”
Those words once used by late Prime Minister David Thompson were repeated in New York City by Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Maxine McClean a week ago on occasion of Barbados’ 44th year of Independence.
And when she said them, they struck a cord among the near 400 Bajans and friends who attended the annual Independence Gala to bring down the curtain on a month-long series of cultural, religious and community events in New York City.
“These celebrations remain an important occasion for Barbadians to reflect on our achievements, the great strides we have made in education, health, culture and other areas,” said Barbados Consul-General in New York Lennox Price.
But the celebrations did something else. They were reminders of the role of the Bajan Diaspora in good times and during rocky and uncertain spells, a point made by Price, McClean and new Prime Minister Freundel Stuart in messages in a journal published by the Council of Barbadian Organisations (CBO) of New York, CBONY.
“Your contribution to the charitable, educational and cultural needs not only of the Barbadian community in New York, but of the Caribbean in general, is highly valued and deeply appreciated,” Stuart stated.
Sponsored by CBONY, an umbrella body of 15 associations in the city, the annual dinner serves as the high point for Bajans bent on hailing their birthplace.
For the first time, the affair was held at Russo On The Bay, an elegant catering centre on the border of Brooklyn and Queens. The invocation was done by Father Sheldon Hamblin, an Episcopal priest, while the music was provided this year by the Technic band with a guest appearance by Anderson Blood Armstrong.
In her feature address, McClean spoke about the opportunities for investment by overseas nationals; the revamping of the scheme for returning Barbadians; damage done to homes and agriculture by Tropical Storm Tomas; efforts to reduce the food import bill; and the strides to extend air links between Barbados and South America, using Brazil as the focus point, a country that also provides connections to Africa.
Joseph Goddard, the country’s new Ambassador to the United Nations, said in a message: “Barbados is on the path to being the first small island-state to reach developed status by 2025,” but he was quick to add that a UN agency had already labelled the country a “developed” nation, albeit in limited terms as far as quality of life was concerned.
As part of the evenings programme, CBO presented a cheque for US$1 000 to McClean to be given to the Hope Foundation. It also donated US$500 to the Lupus Foundation of New York City. The master of ceremonies was Beverley Hall-Hawker.
