SATELLITES OF NONE

THE FACT that hardly any of our more erudite and well-known social commentators have had little to say regarding Barbados’ removal of visa requirements from a number of countries in the Holy Continent of Africa surprises me. At the same time, it shows this country to be truly living up to the vision of its Father, the Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow: Being “friends of all (but) satellites of none”.

Back then, the Prime Minister of a newly Independent Barbados expressed the folly of an unwelcomed colony waiting on the steps of Britain’s Home Office – the same Home Office that destroyed thousands of records of immigrants whom Britain had invited there to rebuild that nation after World War II. In later years, he would also refer to one United States President as a “cowboy” for obvious reasons.

Barbados would also establish diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1972 and embrace it as a member of CARICOM despite that nation being treated like a pariah by the United States, which was and continues to be one of our nation’s key trading partners.

In recent times, Barbados has stood resolutely against the US’ unilateral decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and has lent its voice to CARICOM’s criticism of a self-appointed interim president of Venezuela.

Last week, Barbados announced that visas would no longer be required from the African nations of Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Morocco, Senegal, Rwanda and Burkina Faso; while visa waivers have also been granted to the Gulf states of Bahrain, Jordan, Oman and Qatar, the Asian countries of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and India, as well as Monaco.

Barbados has come of age, and those seeing this from a purely investment or tourism perspective should look into a mirror and see the reflection of Africa, our true Motherland, therein. We may also look around us and see the descendants of those from those other countries just mentioned; a small segment of the thousands who came from all over the world to these islands known as the West Indies.

This is how a small island state practises being a firm craftsman of its fate; not by pandering to the dictates of the world’s leading economies because they supply our import-based economy with food and supplies. And while we may have to painfully accept the European Union’s recent orders/dictate to amend our legislation in order to be removed from its dreaded “blacklist” which would prevent us from trading on the world market, Barbados also has to take its stand in embracing those pillaged and under-developed – like us – by Europe, Britain and its North American spawn.

It’s nothing personal; just consciousness.