Barbados proclaims itself a republic and replaces Queen Elizabeth II as head of state

By Yuliya Talmazan and Shira Pinson -

LONDON - Nearly 400 years after the first English ship reached its golden shores, the former British colony of Barbados woke up as a republic on Tuesday.

The tiny Caribbean nation deposed Queen Elizabeth II as head of state in a spectacular ceremony that began late Monday, thus severing its ties with the British royal family and, with it, one of the island's last imperial ties to the United Kingdom. 

The act was held 55 years after Barbados gained full independence, but it kept the monarch in the ceremonial role. 

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At midnight (local time) the new republic was born to the cheers of the local crowd.

The moment was marked by a 21-gun salute and the performance of the Barbados national anthem.

Following a dazzling display of fireworks, dance and music, Prime Minister Mia Mottley declared singer Rihanna, a native of Barbados and a global star, a national hero.

Sandra Mason, a Barbadian who had been the island's governor general - or representative of the queen - was sworn in as the country's first president.

She was elected by Parliament to the position last month, but Mottley will continue to run the country.  

"It's a monumental step," Kristina Hinds, a professor of political science at the University of the West Indies, in eastern Barbados, said in a Zoom call from her home in Wanstead, north of the capital Bridgetown, before the ceremony.

"I think it is part of the evolution of our independence, and it certainly should have been a long time ago," he added.

Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, attended the celebration of the end of Barbados' formal ties with his 95-year-old mother.

Elizabeth is queen of 15 other kingdoms, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Jamaica.

Dancers perform during the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony to mark the birth of a new republic in Barbados at Heroes Square in Bridgetown, Barbados on November 29, 2021. Jeff J Mitchell / REUTERS

Carlos made a speech in which he said that the creation of the republic "offers a new beginning," while his mother sent her "warmest wishes" to the island in a statement.

"From the darkest days of our past and the gruesome atrocity of slavery that forever stains our history, the people of this island forged their path with extraordinary strength," he said.

Their presence may be a sign of the royal family's desire to maintain strong ties to the island, which will continue to be part of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 54 states that includes many former British colonies and which the queen has defended throughout her life. . 

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But for Hinds, Carlos's presence is symbolically "a little strange." 

"It is problematic for those of us who believe that the British monarchy, as important as it has been for Barbados historically in positive aspects, has also caused serious damage to the country," he said.

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In the 17th century, Barbados was reclaimed by the British and turned into a lucrative colony using the labor of hundreds of thousands of people brought as slaves from Africa.

It became a major center for the production of sugar, an increasingly important product that helped enrich British slave owners. 

England's Prince Charles arrives to attend the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony to mark the birth of a new republic in Barbados on November 29, 2021. TOBY MELVILLE / REUTERS

"The desire to produce sugar, which satisfied the growing sweet tooth in England, made the lifestyles of white consumers built on the exploitation of blacks and slave labor," explained Christopher Prior. , Associate Professor of Colonial and Postcolonial History at the University of Southampton, UK. 

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The island's current population of about 287,000 is mostly made up of descendants of people brought as slaves from Africa to work on the plantations. 

"It is not personal"

Despite this history, there remains a level of respect for the monarchy and for Britain, especially among the island's older population, Hinds said.

Many places in Barbados are named after the queen or her ancestors, and most of the country's tourists come from the UK.

The island is often referred to as "little England."

Nonetheless, several Barbadians welcomed their country's decision to sever ties with its former imperial rulers. 

"For Barbadians, this is not something personal against the queen, it is about our national pride and governance," René Holder-McClean-Ramirez, 45, an LGBTQ advocate, said by phone from his home in Bridgetown. and consultant. 

"As we grow and develop as an independent nation, having a foreign head of state is neither necessary nor practical," he argued. 

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For Ronnie Yearwood, a Bridgetown attorney, the positive sentiment of the move is compounded by regret that the government went ahead without consulting citizens about the kind of republic they would want.

Singer Rihanna observes the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony to mark the birth of a new republic in Barbados on November 30, 2021. TOBY MELVILLE / REUTERS

Barbados first pursued the idea of ​​republicanism in the late 1970s and in 2008 proposed holding a referendum on the issue, but the date was indefinitely delayed. 

The decision to remove the queen as head of state was announced in 2020, but with little consultation on the transition, Yearwood said. 

"There is a lot of disappointment," Yearwood, 42, said.

"It could have been a beautiful moment for all Barbadians."

Our sister network NBC News contacted both the prime minister's office and Mason, but was not granted interviews. 

"Global conversation"

Barbados' decision to dump the queen follows a wave of protests around the world inspired by America's Black Lives Matter movement.

A more direct assessment of Britain's imperial past has helped fuel an effort to topple the symbols of racism and colonialism from Cambridge to the Caribbean.

"It is a local manifestation of a very global conversation that is being held about the legacy of the British Empire and its colonial exploitation," Prior said.

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"The Barbados movement is another element of our moments of decolonization." 

So could the change taking place on the beaches of Barbados mark the beginning of a wave of kingdoms severing ties with the royal family?

"When the queen dies, new debates will arise, especially in places like Australia, about whether they want to have Carlos as head of state," said Prior.

"I do not want to suggest that it is inevitable, but I think it is very likely that the question of republicanism will not go away anytime soon," he added.