 |
 |
 |
| Caribbean Property Magazine Home / June 2009 / 'Barbados Economy : From Sugar Cane to Tourism' | SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND  |
 |
 |
| REACH OVER 380,000 SUBSCRIBERS EVERY MONTH! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 FULL - LENGTH ARTICLES FEATURING YOUR PROPERTY! Tell YOUR story and get exposure! Sell your property or business (or business opportunity) through editorials and feature articles! |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
| VISIT OUR ARCHIVES! Click here to explore our archived articles. |
|
|
| TELL YOUR STORY! We want your articles, your stories, your experiences, your knowledge and your advice! Tell our readers what you have learned, what you love and what you think other people need to know about living, working, buying, selling, relocating and retiring in the Caribbean. |
|
|
| |
 |
| A comprehensive list of downloadable ebooks available from Caribpro. Titles include: |
 Retirement Planning For Offshore Living: Maintain and Enhance your lifestyles spending less than 25% of your monthly budget. |
|
|
|
|
| Belize: Living There How to Live, Retire, Work of Invest in Belize. |
| Nicaragua: Real Estate Property and land bargain amidst colonial splendour. |
| Plastic Surgery in The Caribbean: Inexpensive, High Quality Cosmetic Surgery. |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
| |
|
J U N E
 2 0 0 9Issue 29
|
||||
|
BARBADOS ECONOMY : FROM SUGAR CROP TO TOURISM Barbados' distinction of having remained under British rule from its first settlement in 1627 to its Independence on November 30, 1966, profoundly affected the culture of Barbados. Because of this unbroken dominion, the stoic British influence courses through the everyday life and the infrastructure of the island.
Yet the more flamboyant African sway pervades local life as well, and the blend of the two makes for an unmatched cultural disposition. This fusion ripples through all facets of daily living, from the foods and music to the house styles and street names. Even the language is affected, with Queen's English being the official 'language' while the colorful local dialect remains in common usage. More than 70 per cent of the island's 260 000 people are direct descendents from the forced mass Africa migration of the late 1600s and 1700s - the slave trade. The island also has a peaceful blend of European (primarily British) settler blood with the Afro descendents, as well as small but vibrant Hindu (India), Arab (Lebanese and Syrian) and Jewish communities. |  African influence is readily seen in the art, craft and literary works produced on the island, as well as many of the foods and figures of speech. Bajans are a quick-witted, fun-loving people and their gift for the double entendre or turn of phrase is most visible through calypso and literature. Local festivals, particularly the island's biggest national festival, Crop Over, reflect specific elements of Bajan life. From the beginning and in to its not too long ago past, the primary driving force of the economy and lifestyle was the sugar crop. It was the island's largest income-earner from the late 1600s until the late 1980s, and remains a powerful influence in both the lifestyle and the economy. Crop Over is a celebration of this agricultural mainstay. The other prime economic influence has been, of course, the fishing industry and festivals hailing this trade are also held. Early Influence According to accounts by descendants of the aboriginal Arawak tribes on other local islands, the original name for Barbados was Ichirouganaim. The origin of the name "Barbados" is controversial. The Portuguese, en route to Brazil are credited as the first European nation to discover and name the island. They dubbed the island Los Barbados, which was Portuguese for the Bearded Ones. It is a matter of conjecture whether the word "bearded" refers to the long, hanging roots of the bearded fig-tree (Ficus citrifolia), indigenous to the island, to bearded Caribs inhabiting the island, or to the foam spraying over the outlying reefs giving the impression of a beard. In 1519, a map produced by the Genoese mapmaker Vesconte de Maggiola showed and named Barbados in its correct position north of the island of Tobago. On some historic maps the island has also been spelled as Barbadoes. New archaeological discoveries confirm that Barbados may have been inhabited as early as some time in the 1600s. B.C. Better known, is the migration of the Amerindians who traveled across this part of the Atlantic Ocean by canoe from the Orinoco River region of Venezuela.  This was followed by the Arawak Indians who first arrived in the island around 350-400 BC. A few historical remains of their settlement have been found in areas of Silver Sands, Stroud Point, Chancery Lane, Pie Corner, Saint Luke's Gully and Mapp's Cave. They were then conquered by the Caribs, as evidenced by a dramatic decline in their population around 1200 AD. The Caribs later disappeared from the island. While no direct cause has been determined, a possible combination of famine, disease, abduction and enslavement in larger islands by the Spanish or Portuguese have all been suggested as probable causes. Portuguese explorer Pedro a Campos discovered Barbados in 1536 en route to Brazil. It was Campos who named the island "Los Barbados" ('the bearded ones'), presumably after the island's fig trees, whose long, hanging aerial roots have a beard-like resemblance. On May 14th 1625 Captain John Powell landed on Barbados and claimed the uninhabited island for King James of England. Two years later, on February 17th 1627, his brother Captain Henry Powell landed with a party of 80 settlers and 10 slaves. The group established the island's first European settlement, Jamestown, on the western coast at what is now Holetown. They were welcomed only by a herd of Portuguese Hogs thought to be left there by Campos whose intention was to use them as a food source on return voyages. This settlement was funded by Sir William Courteen, a London merchant who owned the title to Barbados and several other unclaimed islands. Thus, the first colonists were actually tenants and the profits of their labor returned to Courteen and his company. Courteen would later lose this title to James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle in what was called the "Great Barbados Robbery." Carlisle then chose as Governor Henry Hawley. It was he who established the House of Assembly in 1639, in an effort to appease the planters who might otherwise oppose his controversial appointment. In the very early years, the majority of the population was white and male, with African slaves providing little of the workforce. Cultivation of tobacco, cotton, ginger and indigo was handled primarily by European indentured labor until the start of the sugar cane industry. Sugar Cane and Slavery The settlers, in order to survive, needed a cash crop, which at that time was tobacco followed by cotton. This proved not to be profitable and so sugar cane was selected as an alternative. Sugar production, because of its financial outlay was not viable for the small farmer and soon he was forced out giving way to the large plantation owners. Sugar cane cultivation began in the 1640s, after its introduction in 1637 by Pieter Blower. Initially, rum was produced but by 1642, sugar was the focus of the industry. As it developed into the main commercial enterprise, Barbados was divided into large plantation estates which replaced the small holdings of the early British settlers as the wealthy planters pushed out the poorer.  Some of the displaced farmers relocated to British colonies in North America, most notably South Carolina. To work the plantations, tribal peoples of Africa were imported as slaves in such numbers that there were three for every one planter. The slave trade ceased a few years before the abolition of slavery throughout the British empire in 1834. Persecuted Catholics from Ireland also worked the plantations. Sugar cane dominated Barbados' economic growth, and the island's cash crop was at the top of the sugar industry until 1720. Gypsies purged from Europe and other captured nomads were also brought to Barbados as slaves. The Europeans mixed these groups in with the existing groups to form servants for export to the Americas, particularly to the plantations owned by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. |
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
THIS SWITCH TO SUGAR CANE IS PROBABLY THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF BARBADOS.
This switch to sugar cane is probably the single most important event in the history of Barbados, for it brought with it many significant changes. Barbados became a veritable gold mine for the British as the island's sugar industry grew and prospered. The 'landed gentry' came in their numbers from England, all eager to make their fortunes off sugar. Lifestyle was lavish and extravagant, and the residue of this is evident in the many 'great houses' peppered across the island, several of which are open for public viewing by the Barbados National Trust. It also saw the end of the indentured European laborers, bringing the drastic reduction of the white population and the large scale importation of slaves from Africa who provided plantation labor.  The slave trade peaked in the 1700s and continued until 1834 when the Emancipation Act launched an apprenticeship system leading to freedom. Sunday April 14th, 1816 saw the first slave uprising in this island for 124 years. The Bussa Rebellion as it later became known was lead by Bussa, a slave, at Bayley's Plantation. Bussa later became another of Barbados' National heroes and over 169 years later the Emancipation Statue was unveiled in his memory. In 1838 slavery was abolished completely. It is not surprising the next events of historical significance involved mass labor, poor working conditions and the advent of labor unions. Clement Payne, one of the country's National Heroes, who is best remembered for his struggle to help the poor working population of Barbados, was deported and this triggered 4 days of violence later known as the infamous 1937 riots. This kicked off a period of democratic growth and within a year the first labor union was launched. In 1954 the leader of the trade union movement Sir Grantley Adams, became the islands first Premier and in 1961, the man known to Barbadians as the 'Father of Independence', Errol Barrow was elected to lead the country and ultimately pave the way to the island's Independence in 1966. Unlike the majority of other territories Barbados remained in the hands of the British until the island's Independence on November 30th 1966. Barbados Today Barbados had now achieved Independence from Britain, but maintained ties to the British monarch, represented in Barbados by the Governor General. Barbados became an independent state within the Commonwealth Nations and continues to have major role in regional cooperation. BARBADOS HAS THE THIRD OLDEST LEGISLATIVE BODY IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. Barbados has enjoyed more than 350 years of unbroken parliamentary rule and is a democratic society, with a Prime Minister as head of the country. The House of Assembly began meeting in 1639 and Barbados has the third oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere. On that Proud day of Independence, now a National Holiday, the ceremony included the first playing of the National Anthem, the first raising of the National Flag and an elaborate parade. Since Independence, Barbados has been a member of Caricom (previously the Caribbean Free Trade Area), as well as gaining close ties with Third World countries. Barbados now enjoys one of the most stable political and economic environments in the English speaking countries. Barbados' Independence is now celebrated with a month of events and activities in the month of November. Celebrations start with a Lighting Ceremony in the city Bridgetown and ends with a beautiful Parade Ceremony at the Garrison Savannah on the actual Independence Day (Nov 30th), where you can see from Cub Scouts to Soldiers and Girl Guides to the Landship, all turned out in their uniforms. The Mainstay of Current Economy  Although tourism dates back to the 1700s when such visitors as George Washington came to the island for its healthful environment, it was not until the 1950s it became truly popular as a long-stay destination for the wealthy, whose lavish lifestyle is still visible primarily along the west coast. BARBADOS IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MAIN JEWELS IN THE CARIBBEAN’S TOURISM CROWN. By the 1970s Barbados was gaining wider popularity and by the early 1990s visitors not only came in their numbers during the traditional 'high' or winter season, but also during the summer period, July through August, for the island's biggest national festival Crop Over. Today, over a million visitors come to Barbados each year, half of which are cruise ship visitors. Barbados is considered one of the main jewels in the Caribbean’s tourism crown and accounts for the majority of the island’s economy. Author : Raquel B. Tejeda a native of Mexico, and medical professional, calls herself the” accidental freelance writer.” As a keen observer of the Latin political and social scenes she began to write occasionally for various Latin publications leading her to an exciting career as a part-time journalist. |
||||
|
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Click Here to download this article in PDF format.
SEARCH OUR MAGAZINE ARCHIVES contact us submit an article list your property list your boat list a cultural event advertise with us list your property rental |
| |