BACK FROM THE PAST VIDEO: Clement Payne

CLEMENT PAYNE became the face of revolution when he agitated for better working and living conditions.

Payne preached the message of trade unionism and audiences received his message with enthusiasm. However, his popularity made him a target of the elite class and he was under constant surveillance by the police.

On Thursday, July 22, 1937 he was given a summons to appear before the City Magistrate for making false statements to the Harbour Authorities regarding his place of birth. Clement Payne pleaded his own case but was found guilty. He was ordered to pay 10 pounds or spend three months in prison.

He received support much to the disappointment of the ruling class. 

Later that evening, Payne and 300 workers planned to march to the Governor’s residence to protest the trumped up charge. 

After refusing to disperse, Payne was arrested and held in custody. Following much legal back and forth, Payne was served with an expulsion order. 

He was expelled the same night. Once supporters found out they took to the street armed with sticks and stones. The violence lasted four days. 

None-the-less, this was the jolt needed for the British Government to appoint a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the situation in Barbados. Payne’s message launched a revolution of change felt in Barbados and across the region.

Clement Payne was portrayed by Angelo Lascelles and the script was written by BGIS Technical Officer, Mikul Elcock.

The production was filmed in the historical and beautiful grounds of Wildey House, the headquarters of the Barbados National Trust and the costumes were provided by the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.

This series is the brain child of the BGIS’ Social Media and Web Department which is loosely conceived from the Canadian series Titans. 

This segment is produced by Esther Jones and Kathyann Husbands; directed by Esther Jones; filmed by Jamal Hall, Jamal Weekes and photography directed and edited by Mikul Elcock. The creative team of Glenn Brathwaite (Wardrobe Master) Helene Headley (Hair & Makeup) and Kim Ramsay-Moore (Assistant Hair & Makeup) make the characters jump off the pages of the history books.

The crew was made up of the BGIS Social Media Department which includes: Sheena Hamilton, Sharifa Medford, Ronny Yearwood, Sharon Nelson, Aisha Reid, Jamal Hall, Jamal Weekes, Esther Jones and managed by Kathyann Husbands. (BGIS)