Organisers of the annual Emancipation Walk and Concert are preparing for record crowds of up to 10 000 people this year, as the country celebrates the 60th anniversary of Independence and five years as a Republic, in what officials described as a pivotal moment of national reflection.
“This year is very exciting,” Project coordinator for the Season of Emancipation, Kelvin Carvalho said at a media briefing at Kilombo Emancipation Village in Haggatt Hall. “Last year we had just about 2 500. This year we are expecting between 5 000 to 10 000 people.”
Participants will follow the traditional route, starting from the prime minister’s official residence, Ilaro Court, passing the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, -the Norman Niles Roundabout and Cutting Road, Haggatt Hall, before converging at the Bussa Emancipation Statue. The programme will feature three segments: a March for Freedom and Justice, a ceremonial observance at Bussa’s feet, and a concert and village celebration.
The village would showcase schools, cultural pioneers, community organisations, historical researchers, the Spiritual Baptist faith, the Rastafarian movement, regional diaspora groups, embassies and non-governmental organisations, Carvalho said.
“We will continue to do the work [of] our ancestors,” he said.
Ambassador to CARICOM David Comissiong said this year’s Emancipation season comes at a defining moment for the nation.
Barbados’ Ambassador to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), David Comissiong. (Photo Credit: Shamar Blunt/Barbados TODAY)
“This particular season of emancipation is going to be really pivotal for Barbados,” he said, noting that the island last year marked the 400th anniversary of the first British landing and will next year observe the 400th anniversary of the British settlement that brought the first enslaved Africans to the island.
“We are commemorating both the 60th anniversary of our independence and the fifth anniversary of our republic,” Comissiong said. “We as a people have tried to come to terms with our history. We are now at a pivotal period where we have a much deeper understanding of our history.”
He urged schools, churches, trade unions, political parties, the media and other organisations to use the milestone year to deepen national understanding of Barbados’ history and identity.
“This is the time for us now to come together as a people to fully clarify who we are and what mission our history has bequeathed to us,” he said, adding that although “this Barbadian nation was born in enslavement”, there was always “that hunger and thirst for freedom”.
Minister for Pan African affairs and heritage Trevor Prescod said the struggle for justice was far from complete:
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Pan African Affairs and Heritage, Trevor Prescod. (Photo Credit: Shamar Blunt/Barbados TODAY)
“There is a lot of unfinished business in the struggle,” he said, arguing that the fight for reparations must remain central to the emancipation movement.
“Emancipation, no reparations. I don’t believe that it’s just a word. It is a major battle across the global market.”
Barbados must remain steadfast in pressing its case for compensation for the enduring impacts of slavery, he added.
He also expressed hope that the Haggatt Hall Emancipation village would become a permanent home for reparations advocacy and emancipation reflection.
(SB)
