Barbados Severs Relations with Queen Elizabeth II And Declares Independence In A Spectacular Celebration!
FEATURED PHOTO: BARBADOS FIRST PRESIDENT SANDRA MASON
YourBlackWorld.net, By Victor Omondi, Posted December 7th 2021
Barbados, a former British colony, became a republic last week, nearly 400 years after the first English ship arrived on its golden shores.
In a stunning ceremony, the tiny Caribbean nation deposed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state, shattering the island’s connections with the British royal family and, with it, one of the island’s last remaining imperial ties to the UK.
The celebration took place on the 55th anniversary of Barbados’ full independence. However, the monarch was only present for ceremonial purposes.
To the delight of local spectators, the new republic was born at the stroke of midnight local time. A 21-gun salute and the Barbadian national hymn were fired to commemorate the occasion.
After a spectacular performance of fireworks, dance, and music, Prime Minister Mia Mottley declared singer Rihanna, a Barbadian native as well as a global icon, a national hero.
Sandra Mason, a Barbadian, was sworn in as the country’s first president after serving as the island’s governor general, or queen’s representative. Despite the fact that she was voted to the position of figurehead by Parliament last month, Mottley will continue to lead the country.
Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, was present as Barbados commemorated the end of formal ties with his 95-year-old mother. In a speech, Charles said that the republic’s founding “offers a new beginning.”
“From the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery which forever stains our history, people of this island forged their path with extraordinary fortitude,” he added.
His appearance could indicate the royal family’s wish to preserve close ties with the island, which will remain a member of the Commonwealth, a voluntary union of 54 governments that includes many former British colonies and which the queen has championed throughout her life.
Barbados was seized by the British in the 17th century, and it was developed into a prosperous colony by employing the labor of hundreds of thousands of African slaves.
It became a key center for sugar production, an increasingly important commodity that enriched British slave owners.
The island’s current population of around 287,000 inhabitants is primarily made up of descendants of African slaves brought over to work on the plantations.