Here we are 56 years after that historic night when the Union Jack was lowered and the National Flag of Barbados raised for the first time. We have been told the stories of the pride and patriotism felt by those who witnessed this momentous occasion.Independence came after 300 years of our beloved country being a colony under British rule. The National Anthem, penned by Irving Burgie was played for the first time at the Garrison Savannah heralding a new day in the country.We are well aware that our brave forefathers sowed the seed. When we think of Independence we can hardly do so without reflecting on the vision and bravery of the team, led by Errol Barrow, which took that step.But it doesn’t only cause us to think about our leaders. We think about our grandparents, the elderly man or woman who lived in the district we grew up in. We cast our minds to the labourers who worked in the canefields, those who picked cotton, those who worked the field to yield agricultural crops. We take our minds to images of shops across Barbados, long before there were supermarkets.
