February 14, 2023
Inside African American History With Barbados And Why Every Black Traveler Should Visit
If you’re a Black traveler, make sure to add Barbados to your list of places to visit!
In addition to its immaculate beaches, unique culinary offerings, and its most popular product, rum, Barbados shares an eye-opening history with Black communities around the world.
BLACK ENTERPRISE was invited out to the beautiful island nation of Barbados for the official announcement of FABA Fest coming Juneteenth weekend. As part of the press tour, attendees were given a one-of-a-kind introduction to Barbados’ amazing culture and history courtesy of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.
Activities included a fun-filled yacht party and snorkeling excursion with Seaduced Barbados, a history tour and safari ride with Island Safari, a tour and tasting of Barbados’ historic Mt. Gay rum distillery, and an adventurous journey to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with Atlantis Submarines Barbados. We also got to visit Rihanna’s childhood home on Westbury New Road, now known as Rihanna Drive.
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The Island Safari tour in Bridgetown provided a “Tailor Made” option that took us on a journey to Bridgetown’s Freedom Park – Golden Square where we learned about Barbados’ strong ties to the Americas by way of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Tour guide Dawn Lisa-Smith provided in-depth insight into the slave trade where many African slaves were taken to Barbados and “prepped” prior to being auctioned and sold to plantations in the U.S.A and Caribbean.
It was the practices and habits of sugar cultivation in Barbados that influenced the slavery practices in the Americas, as noted by Slavery and Remembrance.org. Powerful Barbadian planters were among the first to settle and make up what would become South Carolina, where they were able to spread their legal code of slavery from Barbados.
Thanks to current debates around Critical Race Theory in America, it’s easy to forget how much Black history has yet to be discovered by many African Americans. It’s part of the reason why Barbados has a strong desire to attract Black travelers and help reintroduce them to a culture and community they might have roots in.
In addition to the new HBCU-themed FABA Festival and Crop Over reeling in American tourists and partygoers, Barbados also has its sights on attracting more Black travelers who share a deep history with the country.
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Just on the heels of Barbados’ transition from a parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Queen Elizabeth II to a parliamentary republic, as noted by BBC, the island nation is proud to welcome Black travelers and immerse them in the Black history and excellence that comes out of Barbados.
The weather is perfect all year round, which means you can travel to Barbados during the winter, spring, summer, and fall months. There are plenty of reasons to Visit Barbados, from the culture, food, and delectable drinks, to just relaxing on the beach or dancing the night away.
Barbados wants Black Americans to come tap into the culture we share.