It is the month of November when Barbadians will proudly celebrate forty two years as a sovereign country. We are told that the broken trident emblazoned on our national flag represents the break from our colonial past represented by England our colonial master at the time. The BU household is fully aware of the tremendous achievements we have made as a tiny island nation comparable with other countries better endowed with financial and other resources.
As a predominantly Black country we can wear our economic and social achievements proudly. As we continue to bask in our achievements in the relative brief period of sovereignty, we are aware that we still have a long road to travel to foster that esprit de corps we will need sustain our success. We believe that in recent years the focus of our development has been skewed towards physical at the expense of our social and moral development.
Under the previous government, to their credit they established the Pan African Commission, rebranded Trafalgar Square, Heroes Square and planted the Errol Barrow statue in Independence Square among our symbolic acts targeted at nation building. However the contentious issue of whether Nelson Statue should be removed from Heroes Square remains outstanding.
We suspect that the previous government played politics with this issue to not offend certain interests.
The BU household’s position on whether Lord Nelson should be moved is simple. We cannot deny our past so therefore we do not agree that it should be dumped in the wharf. However if as a country we have seen the need to rename Trafalgar Square to Heroes Square then it becomes fairly obvious, given the symbolism of doing so, that Lord Nelson should not occupy the prominence it now enjoys. Several other locations are available to resite Lord Nelson statue. Does the Thompson government have the commonsense to make the sensible decision?
Here is a contra-position:
Submitted as a comment by John on the Graeme Hall Sanctuary Blog
Go and actually read some history and you will find that not only did Nelson’s victory at the Nile in 1798 save Africa from French invasion, but that he also played a deciding hand in Haitian Independence in 1804.
… and the Louisiana Purchase by America is also directly attributable to the impact he had on French aspirations outside of Europe.
… and how do you think we are able to read the hieroglyphics which opened the world’s eyes to the wonders of early Egyptian civilizations? (Rosetta Stone) Nelson’s impact on world history is far larger that Trafalgar. That was bare icing!! His place was secure long before he died. I just went on the ancestry.com website to look at some of the slaves called after Nelson in 1834.
Here are some examples:
Beck Ann Nelson, Ben Nelson, Betty Easter Nelson, Betty Nelson,Black Nelson, Bob Nelson, Bob Nelson, Bob Nelson, Casar Nelson, Casar Nelson, Daniel Nelson, Debby Nelson, Edward Nelson, Frances Louisa Nelson, George Nelson, George Nelson, George Nelson, George Nelson, George Nelson, George Nelson, Hesther Nelson, Horatia Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Ino Ewd Nelson, James E Nelson, James Nelson, James Nelson, James Nelson, Jim Nelson, Joe Nelson, Joe Nelson, John Nelson, John Nelson, John Nelson, John Nelson, John Nelson, John Nelson, John Nelson, John Nelson, John Nelson, John Nelson, John Nelson, John Nelson, John Nelson, Joseph Nelson, Kitty Nelson, Lord Nelson, M Nelson, Mary Nelson
Why do you think the Horatio Cooke Auditorium in Belmont Road has in the name Horatio? Wonder how the deejay Admiral Nelson got his name? It is a simple fact that Horatio and Nelson were used as christian names from 1798 onward all over the world. Some families actually used those two names over several generations!!
This is not a phenomena limited only to one race or country. It is found throughout the world. Go to familysearch.org and choose a surname and put in horatio as a christian name. Chances are you will get several hits from around the world.
People make the mistake of thinking that Nelson is simply Trafalgar and actually believe that the statue only commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar. The statue is a memorial to a remarkable man and every Bajan living at the time had a hand in its erection.
Go and actually read what it says on the statue and stop listening to people who do not read!! Read, and start thinking for yourself. When you do, think for a moment about why August 1st could have been chosen as emancipation day!!
You will find a compelling reason on the statue!!
Did you know also that there is a “Nelson” Island off the coast of Africa in Aboukir Bay, and why do you think we have a Trafalgar Street, … and a Nile street!! This guy was a superstar in his day!! Only someone who does not read would miss the significance of his life and achievements on world history.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.