The Emancipation Statue is a public

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

symbolising the "breaking of the chains" of slavery at Emancipation. It is located in

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estima ...

, east of

Bridgetown Bridgetown ( UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The ...

at centre of the J.T.C. Ramsay roundabout formed at the junction of the

ABC Highway The ABC Highway is the main urban highway in Barbados. Opened in 1989, it is named after three famous Barbadian politicians: John Michael Geoffrey Manningham ("Tom") Adams, Errol Barrow, and Hugh Gordon Cummins. From the east, the highway st ...

and Highway 5. Many Barbadians refer to the statue as

Bussa Bussa's rebellion (14–16 April 1816) was the largest slave revolt in Barbadian history. The rebellion takes its name from the African-born slave, Bussa, who led the rebellion. The rebellion, which was eventually defeated by the colonial mil ...

, the name of a slave who helped inspire a revolt against the

plantocracy A slavocracy, also known as a plantocracy, is a ruling class, political order or government composed of (or dominated by) slave owners and plantation owners. A number of early European colonies in the New World were largely plantocracies, usually ...

society in Barbados in 1816, though the statue is not actually sculpted to be Bussa. The statue, made of bronze, was created in 1985 by Barbadian- Guyanese sculptor Karl Broodhagen 20 years after the island's independence. In 1998 the Cuban President,

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 20 ...

delivered an impassioned speech at the statue during his visit to Barbados.The presence of Fidel in Barbados was recalled on Emancipation Day
Cuban Minister of External Affairs

Inscription

This was the chant of thousands of Barbadians when slavery was abolished in 1838, signifying their freedom, joy and happiness. Five years after the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

References

External links

Official government website
Organization of American States - Children's Page
Bussa's Rebellion
- British National Archives 1985 sculptures Black people in art Bronze sculptures in Barbados Buildings and structures in Barbados Monuments and memorials in Barbados Outdoor sculptures Slavery in art Slavery memorials {{Barbados-stub

Inscription

See also

References

External links