Barbados PM calls for focus on positive legacies of slavery

Barbadians should not dwell on the negative legacies with which they are faced as a result of the unique nature of Caribbean slavery. Instead, they should bury their differences and reflect on the important lessons learned during one of the most shameful episodes in human history.

This call was made by Prime Minister David Thompson as he addressed the Emancipation Day Rally last Friday. Thompson listed the negative legacies as: mental slavery manifested in low self-esteem; distrust manifested in political divisions; and the tendency to blame everything on slavery. However, he stressed that there were positive legacies such as the love of freedom, which should be focused on.

“It is natural that a society that was built on the foundations of slavery would have as one of its most important values, the quest for freedom. Barbadians and other Caribbean people in general, are internationally renowned for their willingness to fight for their freedom wherever and whenever it is threatened,” he said. source