Oh Barbados!

When people ask me where I’m from, they’re usually shocked to hear Barbados. Here is an example of one recent conversation I had at Starbucks:

Stranger: So where are you from?

Me: I’m from the West Indies...Barbados.

Stranger: (extended pause and staring at me)
Another few odd seconds pass.

Stranger: Really???

Me: Yep.

Stranger: I would have never thought that (still giving me a hard look). I thought South Africa or Australia?

I roll my eyes, but politely respond

Me: No....im from Barbados

Despite the many disbelievers, I was born and bred on the small island just over two decades ago. Yes, I am a 100% Bajan! (Okay, maybe 99% - I don’t drink sorrel - it’s so gross)

Growing up on island isn’t the paradise people make it out to be. Okay. I admit that we’ve got sun all year round. And there are beautiful beaches with palm trees and coconuts. But beyond the glossy tourist postcards, Barbados has a rich and vibrant history- thanks to the Englishmen who first settled on the island in 1627. Under the British, the small island soon became known as “Los Barbados” (meaning bearded fig trees). During my school years, besides learning about the Arawaks and Caribs (Indians who inhabited the Caribbean island before the British) I learnt a lot about British colonisation, the transatlantic slave trade, and of course sugar !

When I say ‘sugar’ I don’t mean that white processed shit you find in the supermarket. I mean the raw brown sugar that comes in chunky crystals (pretty much you’re dentist’s worst nightmare).

Anyways, with large acres of untouched arable land, Barbados soon became a prime sugar cane producing centre. Sugar cane, big ugly stalks covered the island from the east to west, keeping the locals busy until crop over season. Although sugar cane is no longer Barbados’s primary industry, crop-over is still a big deal. Basically during crop-over, all the sugar cane is cut down and trucked off to the sugar factories to be made into sugar. At the same time the locals party their heads off, drinking and dancing up a storm from dawn to dusk, until they can’t walk or talk any more. Yes – it’s a lot of ruckus (almost like a Superbowl wknd). Thankfully, I escaped that chaos when I came to Canada. Or so I thought, until I learned about Caribana (basically a cut and copy version of crop over or any other Caribbean carnival).

Anyways, Barbados, (under the British) became a leading exporter of sugar, other raw goods and rum. But, it was sugar that drove the island’s economy and rotted a lot of teeth for so many years. Skipping forward a few history books to today, Barbados presently thrives off tourism rather than sugar. Although the sugar industry remained vibrant for several decades, the influx of tourist from various parts of the world has, and continues to generate a ton of revenue for the island.

However, earlier this year, I visited Barbados and was sad to see how much it has changed since I left eight years ago. The sugar cane fields I once passed on my way to school have disappeared and been replaced with luscious golf courses. The well manicured lawns, once wild with cane are now host to many avid golf players (including Tiger Woods) during their vacation time.

As for the sugar factories, they have all closed down. Fortunately, we are still producing the local rum (Mount Gay Rum – which is sold in the LCBO). However, the small island has been sucked into an industry that continues to undermine the culture and heritage that I grew up with. The cow patches and small cricket fields (where locals play their Sunday game) are slowly disappearing into car dealerships and fast food chains. The local bars and rums shops are now competing with upscale five star restaurants. Although these changes are inevitable, it is sad to see the local character of the island slowly disappear.

So, in light of celebrating Barbados’s independence today, I try to hold on to all the great memories I have of the small island, which sadly, is no longer just the sun and the sea.