Barbados’ Golden Square Freedom Park.

Having a little green space in the heart of a bustling city like Bridgetown is always a good thing that’s why the Golden Square Freedom Park was a welcome addition to the city’s landscape. This is a new park having only been opened in November 2021 to commemorate Barbados’ transition from a parliamentary monarchy (Queen Elizabeth II head of state) to a sovereign republic state with a homegrown president. This area which the park now occupies was known for its demonstrations and fiery speeches back in the 1930’s. Chief among the agitators was national hero Clement Payne (1904 – 1941) who urged poor Barbadians to resist the planter class and advocate for better working and living conditions. Having been viewed as a security threat by the British colonial powers, he was deported to Trinidad in 1937. This act led to four days of rioting during which stores were burned and cars pushed into the sea. The police opened fire on the rioters, killing fourteen and wounding more than forty. The Colonial government was forced to act which led them to examine the conditions of the working class in the Caribbean colonies. Reforms that were originally suggested by Mr. Payne would now be implemented. July 26th., the day of the riots is now observed as a Day of National Significance

The park, while a great place for inspiration and education, is also a space for relaxation with plenty of seating, some of which is covered. It’s a popular spot for “liming,” This term in Bajan refers to a group of individuals socializing having some food or drink and conversation. You might witness a spirited game of dominoes being played, but mostly people stop by to have lunch and sometimes engage in a game of road tennis.

Road tennis courts. This sport, which is basically table tennis played at street level, originated in Barbados. Just about every neighborhood had a court painted in the street. Handmade wooden racquets and a lawn tennis ball with the fur removed were all you needed. The sport has been elevated to the point where there’s now a governing body that sanctions national competitions.

Stock photo. Scenes like this are typical of what it would’ve been like many years ago. It’s a more organized sport now with dedicated spaces to play.

The most profound feature for me is the Builders’ Wall, a semicircular wall of bricks, each with the inscribed family names of those who have lived on the island. The names are alphabetized so it didn’t take much time for me to locate our family names. If for some reason you family’s name is missing, you can petition the government and have it added.

Finding our family names was pretty exciting and gave a feeling of connectedness..

There’s so much interesting history to the Caribbean region that is worth exploring. Some great, some not so great but the sum of it is what makes us who we are.