Barbados became the world’s newest republic on November 30, 2021. What was the Caribbean nation earlier? Who took over as the new head? Let’s find out.
A British colony
Barbados, which is famous for its picturesque beaches, is a Caribbean island nation. It remained a British colony for nearly four centuries. It first became a British colony when English ships arrived at the Caribbean in 1625. Barbados gained independence from the United Kingdom in November 1966, centuries after the English settlers turned the island into a wealthy sugar colony with the hard work of thousands of enslaved Africans.
Becoming a republic
Barbados with a population of over 3,00,000 people became a republic on November 30, 2021, as the island nation marked its 55th anniversary of independence from Britain. Now what’s a republic? A republic is a form of government in which the country is ruled by representatives of the citizens. In other words, it will have an elected government with an elected leader.
The new head
Barbados, after removing Queen Elizabeth Il as its head of state, swore in its first elected President. Sandra Mason, a former governor general. (Governors general were appointed by the British Crown to serve as its representative in British colonies.) Though the nation had been thinking about becoming a republic for decades, it came to fruition with its Parliament electing its first-ever President in October 2021. Seventy-two-year-old Mason is an attomey and judge who also has served as ambassador to Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, and Brazil. She will help Mia Mottley, who has been the Prime Minister since 2018, lead the island which is dependent on tourism, manufacturing, and finance. It is said that with the transition, Barbados’ flag, coat of arms and national anthem will remain the same, but certain references such as “crown” and “royal” will no longer be used, marking a departure from the island nation’s colonial past.
Quick facts
- Barbados is the latest Caribbean island to remove Queen Elizabeth as head of state. It joins Guyana, which gained independence in 1966 and became a republic in 1970; Trinidad and Tobago, which became independent in 1962 and a republic in 1976; and Dominica, which gained full independence as a republic in 1978.
- Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, was in Bridgetown to witness the transition.
- Barbados will remain part of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 54 countries with roots in the British Empire.
- Barbados declared the island’s most famous citizen, singer Rihanna a National Hero at its republican celebrations in her hometown Bridgetown.
Picture Credit : Google
