The two-acre Golden Square Freedom Park in The City should be “the mecca of civic organisation, public education” and artistic expression.
That’s the hope of founder of the Clement Payne Movement and CARICOM Ambassador, David Comissiong, who gave remarks earlier Saturday during the official opening ceremony of the historic space in Bridgetown.
“This is a great day for me personally and for the members and supporters of the Clement Payne Movement,” he told the audience that included Governor General Dame Sandra Mason, Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Chief Justice Sir Patterson Cheltenham, Members of Cabinet, Members of Parliament, other dignitaries and those watching online.
In addition to giving the background, rationale and work of the Clement Payne Movement through the years, he thanked its late and present members for pressing ahead with their mandate and ensuring that Barbadians knew the National Hero, his work and its significance to the country.
It was Payne who said “educate, agitate, but do not violate” which most Barbadians would remember him for, but Comissiong told them about the end of that famous speech from 1937.
“Brother and sisters, on the 21st of July, 1937 the Right Excellent Clement Payne delivered one of his most important public speeches right here in Golden Square. As per usual, police spies were in the crowd and they made a written record of Payne’s words.
“And here is how Clement Payne ended that historic speech 84 years ago and I quote, ‘I am going to make this spot the mecca of organisation in this island. Bad things have been said about Golden Square, but I have found my services better appreciated here than elsewhere in this island’,” the pan-Africanist said.
“The challenge is now to play our part in helping to realise Clement Payne’s vision by embracing this magnificent two-acre Golden Square Freedom Park and making it the mecca of civic organisation, public education, participatory citizenship, conscious artistic expression and progress and even revolutionary consciousness in the new republic of Barbados,” said Comissiong.
And in his welcoming remarks, Member of Parliament for The City of Bridgetown, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic, said his “sincerest wish” was that the re-engineered Golden Square Freedom Park would be “treasured and enjoyed by all”.
“There can be no doubt whatsoever regarding the importance of this space in our long journey to becoming a republic and the role played by the National Hero whose bust graced this park for several years now. Whilst the journey has been long, and the road has been winding, I am sure that we all agree it was worth the time and the effort,” he said.
Bostic saluted Prime Minister Mottley for delivering on the promise that The City space held “too much national significance to have been allowed to remain in the state that it was” and that she would fix it on assuming office. (GBM)
