Barbados, known as the birthplace of reggae and as an escape from the confines of the Caribbean in the last half of the 20th century, is changing fast. The tiny but once-reliable haven of sun, sand and rest has become a tropical daydream as it tries to shed its former colonial image and carve out a place for itself in the 21st century.
The change was on full display this week during the region’s first edition of the World Sustainable Tourism Awards, which recognized Barbados for its renewable energy. The country had turned out to be a favorite of the judges — so much so that it displaced Mauritius as the best destination in the category.
Mauritius may now find itself out of style in the trilingual island nation of 350,000 people.
But these days, Barbados’ transformation isn’t looking out of place in a region that is increasingly shifting. How did it happen? How did paradise emerge in the first place? And how can other nations follow in its footsteps?
As the world’s anthropologists, historians and economic historians have long explained, natural (and economic) phenomena such as water and land are deeply rooted in civilizations. But as these changes occur, they frequently cause a social upheaval that changes the societies themselves. People move, buy and sell, settle and scatter, leaving behind a new identity.
Today, societies outside the West like Barbados will continue to spread their ideas and culture in their own ways. But social transitions always offer opportunities to develop knowledge, culture and resources in the process.
Now, it is increasingly clear that Barbados’ social shift has not only resulted in a broader global identity, but also a growing recognition of the island’s meaning as a place of experimentation and discovery. As the Inter-American Development Bank recently noted in its 2018 Human Development Index, Barbados is now equal to China in terms of the quality of life, ranking 28th overall compared to Mauritius’ fifth place.
This transformation is rooted in Barbados’ history. When British rule began to loosen in the mid-19th century, the island’s capitalist tradition soon exceeded its ancestral traditions of naturalism. This change arguably gave birth to the island’s early form of urban liberalism — resulting in Barbados becoming a hub for West Indian colonies in the West Indies and the Home of Rasta-ism in the Caribbean.
Both early traditions have transformed the country into a tourist destination and a center for media, education and entertainment. But the emerging third alternative — namely, social democracy — is transforming the island’s very identity. Just as social security now pays for city public transportation, entertainment provides a foundation for digital innovation. Social aid has encouraged the rich to maintain colonial castles and old mansions while forcing others to do the same.
And this could change things again. Some Barbadians believe that the island will have to throw out its heritage and embrace a new version of the country’s identity as the world around it becomes more modern.
This mirrors the shift taking place in other West African countries, particularly in Senegal, whose population is firmly considered to be Islamic. Similarly, Calcutta, Bengaluru and other cities across the developing world are today host to neighborhoods or districts that have been founded on this premise.
Barbados faces a conundrum. It needs to reconcile its repugnant legacy of colonialism and social conservatism with modern values while being able to accommodate and embrace these new trends. With the impending Anglophone region of East Africa poised to overtake the West Indies in terms of arrivals and emigration, India’s controversial economic policies may ultimately offer Barbados a road map to follow.
So as Barbados digs itself out of its economic legacy of slavery and imperialism, it will do so by learning from history.
Donald Kaberuka is the president of the African Development Bank. The opinions expressed are his own. http://bit.ly/2Qh3cUG