Since the passing of Trevor Marshall yesterday, countless Barbadians have been paying tribute. They have spoken of his outstanding work as a historian, educator and cultural ambassador.
With all of these, I wholeheartedly concur, but personally, when I think of Trevor, I see a genuine friend and Bajan to the core. He lived the Bajan culture, and when juxtaposed against his pan-African sensibilities, you could not ask for a better personification of who we are as a people.
My association with him goes back many years, but the ones I hold dearest cover my most youthful political years, when I held the portfolio of Minister of Education and Culture, and more particularly, when I was responsible for the affairs of the National Cultural Foundation.
Trevor held strong views on how we should embrace and promote our culture, and we have had strong disagreements, but he was always respectful in our discourses and open to being challenged. It was a pleasure and privilege to work with him.
In more recent years, it was not unusual to happen upon Trevor in the courtyard of Parliament Buildings as he conducted tours of Bridgetown for visitors to our shores — and even Barbadians who live here — taking in and giving the background to sites that represent critical, or questionable, moments in our history, even some that ran counter to his convictions about what we should celebrate as a nation.
Certainly, there is no doubt about the position he held over the years on the statue of Lord Nelson remaining in Heroes Square, particularly after its name was changed from the centuries-old Trafalgar Square.
I have no doubt that we will miss the enthusiasm and conviction he brought to our debates about history and culture, but I am equally certain that the thousands of Barbadians who were once his students will see to it that the wealth of knowledge, he imparted to them, continues to be used for the national good. That, I believe, would be the ultimate tribute to a “real, real” Bajan.
On behalf of the Government and people of Barbados, I extend sincere condolence to his wife Margaret, and his children Gloria Quintyne, Sharifa Barrow, Kwesi Marshall, Ayodele Marshall and Dr. Hadiya Marshall. (PR/GIS)
