BRIDGETOWN, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Barbados formally declared itself the world’s newest republic at the stroke of midnight, as the Caribbean island nation removed Queen Elizabeth II as head of state in a solemn ceremony Tuesday attended by her son Prince Charles.
Symbolizing the historic handover, the Royal Standard flag representing the queen was lowered during a ceremony inaugurating the current governor-general, Dame Sandra Mason, as the first president of Barbados.
“I, Sandra Prunella Mason, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Barbados according to law, so help me God,” the new president said in taking the oath of office.
The new era for the nation of 285,000 ends Britain’s centuries of influence, including more than 200 years of slavery until 1834.
A long-running pandemic curfew was suspended to allow Barbadians to enjoy the festivities, including projections at various points across the country and large fireworks displays timed to mark the historic transition.
“I remember in the old days we would be really excited about the Queen and Prince Charles and Princess Diana and royal weddings,” Anastasia Smith, a 61-year-old nurse, said.
“But I don’t know if we ever quite saw them as our royal family. Now, everybody is talking about a republic. I’m not sure that anything about my life is going to change. But I think we’re doing the right thing and it’s a proud moment for Barbados.”
The “Pride of Nationhood” ceremony itself was closed to the wider public but Barbados’ most famous citizen, the singer Rihanna, took place alongside top officials for the event, complete with military parades, a mounted guard
of honor and gun salutes.
Barbados, famous for its idyllic beaches and love of cricket, won independence from Britain in 1966.
In October, it elected Mason its first president, one year after Prime Minister Mia Mottley declared the country would “fully” leave behind its colonial past.
British officials said Charles would use his speech in Barbados to stress continuing ties between the two countries, including through the Commonwealth group of nations.
In usually bustling Bridgetown, paltry numbers at popular tourist spots and a dead nightlife scene all point to a country struggling after years of relative prosperity.
Buoyed by Black Lives Matter movements across the world, local activists last year successfully advocated for the removal of a statue of the British Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson that stood in National Heroes Square for two
centuries.
And the end of the queen’s reign is seen by some as a necessary step towards financial reparations to address the historic consequences of the useof slaves brought from Africa to work on sugar plantations.
For many Barbadians, replacing the queen is just catching up with how the nation has felt for many years. — NNN-AGENCIES
