Images: The
Emancipation Statue
In 1985, the Emancipation Statue (sculpted by Karl
Broodhagen) was unveiled to honor the 150th anniversary of emancipation
and to symbolize the broken chains of slavery. Many identified the
statue with Bussa, a slave who led a rebellion in 1816. Bussa died
during the rebellion but became a hero for the movement.
Slavery was abolished in 1834. A four-year
apprenticeship followed, during which the freed men continued to work 45
hours a week in exchange for living in tiny huts provided by the
plantation owners.
The apprenticeship ended in 1838. In
celebration, over 70,000 Barbadians of African descent took to the
streets, singing a Bajan folk song:
Lick an Lock-up Done Wid, Hurray fuh
Jin-Jin (Qn. Victoria).
De Queen come from England to set we free
Now Lick an Lock-up Done Wid, Hurray fuh Jin-Jin
For a more complete biography of Bussa, look into
the Bajan government's account:
http://www.barbados.gov.bb/bussa.htm
On Emancipation Day, August 1, many Bajans solemnly
walk the streets to the Bussa statue, where they gather to pay tribute to
the memory of their ancestors. This walk is known as the Freedom
March. Foreign dignitaries, such as Fidel Castro of Cuba and
Hlengiwe Bhengu of South Africa (in 1998), speak to the assembled crowd
about their long walk to freedom.
An unknown Bajan said, when asked how he'd feel if
the statue was rased:
Feel? I'd want you to feel what it was like
to rise before dawn, to walk three miles to work with your eyes
half-closed and a fifty pound weight on your head. I'd want you to
feel the break, hear snapping iron, taste that freedom.
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