Over 250 Liberians are expected to visit Barbados from May 6 to 13, in recognition of the 159^th Anniversary of the Migration of 346 Barbadians to the West African country.

Under the theme Sankofa: The Pilgrimage to Barbados, the historic visit is being coordinated by a team from Liberia, headed by Ambassador Llewelyn Witherspoon, and the Division of Culture, Prime Minister’s Office.

Other stakeholders involved in the venture include the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., The University of the West Indies, Barbados Museum and Historical Society, Export Barbados, and Barbados Tourism Investment Inc.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, who expressed pleasure about the upcoming visit, stated: “This pilgrimage to Barbados represents a reunion of family. Barbados and Liberia have long held a close genealogical and cultural connection. This trip represents an opportunity for us to now connect in a new way, while still paying respects to the past. I sincerely welcome Ambassador Witherspoon and former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and look forward to the positive developments that will no doubt come.”

The pilgrimage presents a unique opportunity to broaden Barbadians’ knowledge of Liberia and to explore the possibility of cultural cooperation and a knowledge exchange between the two countries. 

It also provides an opportunity for investment and business prospects as well as to learn more about the work in research and genealogy being undertaken by the Department of Archives and The University of the West Indies (The UWI) chronicling the Barbados/Liberia experience.

During the eight-day visit, the Liberians will engage in a number of educational and cultural heritage events that include a Heritage and Island Tour hosted by the Division of Culture and The UWI’s Faculty of History and Humanities; an Archives Genealogy Marketplace, hosted by the Department of Archives and the Prime Minister’s Office; and a Liberia-Barbados Business Roundtable and Exhibition.

The highlight of the pilgrimage will be the commemoration of the 159th Anniversary of the Departure to Liberia, dubbed the Sankofa Moment Commemorative Plaque Laying Ceremony, opposite Government Headquarters, Bay Street, in recognition of the signal moment when the ship Brig CORA sailed from Bridgetown to Monrovia, Liberia, on April 6, 1865.

Following Emancipation, Barbadians, who returned to Africa as missionaries or in search of freedom, responded to the offer of citizenship and fertile land by the then President of Liberia to the “brethren of the Antilles”, as the Caribbean was called. This led to the first and only recorded post-Emancipation organised mass emigration of African Barbadians to Liberia in 1865.

Many of the early settlers and their descendants contributed to the development of Liberia.  In fact, two of Liberia’s earliest Presidents, Arthur Barclay, and his nephew, Edwin Barclay, were of Barbadian descent, as well as Liberia’s longest serving First Lady of the 20th Century, Antoinette Padmore Tubman.  (PR/GIS)

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds, has accepted the flag of the Windrush Generation group.

Mr. Symmonds, who accepted the flag on behalf of Government, met with a delegation from the Windrush Generation group, led by directors Nigel Guy and Charles Dacres, at the Ministry’s Culloden Road, St. Michael location recently, as part of the delegation’s Caribbean tour.

During the meeting, background on the history of the Windrush Generation was shared, which highlighted that in 1948 the HMT Empire Windrush vessel docked in Tilbury, Essex, carrying passengers from the Caribbean to the United Kingdom (UK). 

According to the National Archives, which holds the ship’s passenger list, there were 1,027 people on board, of which more than 800 gave their last country of residence as being in the Caribbean, including Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Barbados, and Jamaica. Those persons on board the ship became known as the Windrush Generation.

In 1971, the Immigration Act gave Commonwealth citizens living in the UK the permanent right to live and work in the UK, including those referred to as the Windrush Generation. However, it was disclosed that the UK Home Office in April 2018 had kept no records of those granted permission to stay. 

This affected persons from the Windrush Generation who were not issued paperwork and were unable to confirm their status and the right to legally live and work in the UK, and as a result prevented them from accessing work, housing and healthcare, and they faced possible deportation.

Director Guy said the group seeks to highlight the seven Cs, which are the commemoration of the Windrush Generation; the celebration; the contributions they made; the care that is needed for the Windrush Generation; the challenges and conflicts that are faced by them; and change.

Minister Symmonds, upon hearing the seven Cs, suggested that the group add an additional ‘C’, which would be “conscience” because he felt that there was an absence of justice in dealing with the Windrush Generation

Director Guy gave an explanation of the flag’s design, which has a blue background, a triangle logo with the text We Are Standing On Their Shoulders Windrush Generations and a ship in the middle of the triangle.

“The triangular shape takes on the form of our people’s journey, from the African continent all the way to the Caribbean, to the Americans and also the journey to Europe – United Kingdom.  The richness of our people is the gold, the red is the blood that’s been sacrificed throughout the centuries and also the sacrifices that people have made in the UK as well….

“A white background is done in the UK, but we thought we’d have a blue background for the Caribbean nations to signify the warmth and colour of the sky and the sea,” Mr. Guy explained.

The Windrush Generation delegation visited Barbados as part of a Caribbean tour, which included stops in Dominica; Grenada; Jamaica; Saint Lucia; and Trinidad and Tobago. They were garnering support for the raising of the flag one day in May to commemorate the sailing of the Windrush vessel from Caribbean ports. 

Also present at the meeting were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Culture, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight; Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Paula Byer; PMO’s Press Secretary, Alex Downes; and Foreign Service Officer, Asha Pitt. (PR/GIS)

Caption: From left to right – Windrush Generation Advocate, Marcia Guy; Director, Nigel Guy; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds; Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with Responsibility for Culture, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight; and Director, Charles Dacres, display the Windrush Generation Flag.

Barbados and China signed three memorandums of understanding yesterday, which would allow for the provision of two tractors, technical expertise to grow rice, and the creation of systems for advance hydroponics management.

These agreements were signed by Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Nutritional Security, Indar Weir; Governor of Hunan Provincial People’s Government, Mao Weiming; Deputy Director-General, Hunan Provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, Liu Qihua, at the Ministry of Agriculture, Graeme Hall, Christ Church. 

The agreements are between the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC), and Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology Co., Ltd.

Minister Weir thanked the Chinese Government for its assistance, noting that the agreements were important to the achievement of Government’s goals.  

“We have set as our objective as a nation to reach full [food] security based on our SDG goals for 2030. The People’s Republic of China, through your ambassador, has been a very good partner, and has given us more than enough to make sure we can bring along our people in agriculture. To this end, we are very pleased with the Upland Rice Project that has proven to be a success and we are happy as we look forward to working on expanding that project to the Pine Basin,” Mr. Weir said.           

China established the initial Upland Rice Project. It provided the technical support for the project, and the rice is cultivated on 78 square metres of land at BADMC’s location in Christ Church. So far, the project has yielded 128 lbs of rice.   

Governor of Hunan Provincial People’s Government, Mao Weiming, stated: “We are very happy to see the fruitful outcome between the cooperation of Barbados and the Agricultural Department of Hunan, as well as affiliated companies and research institutes in the upland rice planting under the greenhouse construction project.”             

Hunan is one of the top rice producers in the central part China, and has developed an advance industry in agriculture, art and education. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Nutritional Security, Indar Weir, shakes hands with Deputy Director-General, Hunan Provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, Liu Qihua. following the signing of a MOU between Barbados and China to cooperate on an new Upland Rice Project