(Bridgetown) Queen Elizabeth II will lose a new jewel in her crown with the swearing-in on Monday evening of the first president in the history of Barbados, the small Caribbean island thus becoming a republic.
Already independent from the United Kingdom since 1966, Barbados will celebrate its transition from monarchy to republican rule after some four centuries of subjection to the British sovereign.
The island known for its paradisiacal beaches, its rum and for being the birthplace of the world superstar Rihanna will have as head of state another woman, Sandra Mason, until then governor general of the country, after her election in October in indirect universal suffrage.
His official entry into office will take place at midnight in the capital, Bridgetown. The Queen’s standard will be taken down and the President-designate will be invested before the highest magistrate in the country. The presidential flag will then be hoisted.
PHOTO TOBY MELVILLE, REUTERS
The Barbados flag flies atop Parliament in Bridgetown, Barbados on November 29, 2021, as the former British colony prepares to become a republic.
A long-standing curfew to counter the spread of the coronavirus has been temporarily lifted to allow Barbadians to enjoy the festivities. Large fireworks are planned in particular when the transition has become solemn.
“Special Commonwealth Link”
The official ceremony is not open to the public, however, and authorities have advised residents not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary. In Bridgetown, a few hours before the ceremony began, many said they were excluded from the celebrations.
“I’m not overly keen on Barbados becoming a republic, simply because the fact that we are becoming it is not really known to the people,” says Ian Trotman, a 58-year-old textile manufacturer. ans who believes that an information campaign for residents should have taken place.
Invited for the occasion, Prince Charles, heir to the crown, will join the celebrations, as will Rihanna.
PHOTO TOBY MELVILLE, REUTERS
Prince Charles was greeted at the airport by President-elect Sandra Mason.
Barbados will remain a member of the Commonwealth organization, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted in a statement on Monday.
“We will remain staunch friends and allies, building on the enduring affinities and connections between our peoples and the special bond of the Commonwealth,” Mr Johnson wrote.
In Barbados, the Prince of Wales was caught up in a controversy that broke out over the weekend over remarks he allegedly made a few years ago about the skin color of the future children of the couple formed by her son Harry and Meghan Markle.
These remarks, reported in a book to be published Tuesday, were denied by the services of Prince Charles: “This is fiction and does not deserve further comment,” said a spokesperson for Clarence House.
Questions of British influence and racism were instrumental in Barbados’ decision to become a republic, with the island still marked by the legacy of centuries of slavery.
“Past harm”
Critics were already targeting Prince Charles’ invitation by Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who is to award him the island’s highest honor, the Order of Freedom.
“The British royal family is guilty of exploitation in this area and yet they have offered no official apology or form of compensation for past wrongs,” said Kristina Hinds, professor of international relations at the University of the West Indies at Barbados.
For some activists, like Firhaana Bulbulia, founder of the Muslim Association of Barbados, British colonization and slavery are thus directly responsible for inequalities on the island.
“The differences in wealth, the ability to own property, even access to bank loans, all of this is linked to the structures created under British rule”, argues the young woman of 26 years.
“The physical chains [de l’esclavage] have been broken and we no longer wear them, but mental chains persist in our minds, ”she says.
But some residents point to the existence of more urgent problems, including the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has only underscored the country’s dependence on tourism, especially from the United Kingdom.
Before the virus emerged, the crystal-clear island was visited by more than a million people every year.
The calm of the usually busy streets of Bridgetown, the paltry number of visitors and a moribund nightlife today testify to the difficulties of this pearl of the Lesser Antilles, which has about 287,000 inhabitants.
Unemployment is nearly 16%, up 9% from previous years, despite increased government borrowing to finance public sector works and create jobs.