Rising up for Emancipation Day

The National Cultural Foundation embarked on a special Emancipation Day project entitled – RISE which was released on Sunday, August 1.

On that day, Anglophone Caribbean nations commemorated Emancipation Day, marking the 1834 abolition of slavery in the British Empire and the 1838 abolition of apprenticeship, a system that forced formerly enslaved people to continue to work uncompensated for their masters.

RISE debuted on the NCF’s social media channels on Sunday, August 1 and featured a special presentation from Dr. Tonya Haynes lecturer and acting head and coordinator of graduate programmes University of the West Indies followed by a music video for the remix of the 1999 song Victory penned by Dr The Most Honourable Anthony Gabby Carter and sung by Terencia Coward.

The remix was produced by Darien Bailey of Decibel Productions and features original singer TC along with Rubytech, Mahalia, Teff, Sunrokk and Rochelle.

The video begins with an insightful discussion by Dr. Haynes around the topic of race and gender, focusing on why gender and sexual justice must be central to Caribbean liberation. 

The project was conceptualised by NCF Chief Executive Officer Carol Roberts-Reifer and produced and directed by Marketing Officer, Ashley Dyall.

Dyall said that the NCF continues to play a critical role in the maintenance and conservation of Barbados’ cultural heritage.

“Apart from being the gatekeeper of cultural heritage, our organisation also performs the equally important task of fostering the progressive and authentic development of our country’s culture and its national values.

“Simply put, the NCF is an important actor in the promotion of cultural understanding and development. And in approaching this critical task, we begin with the understanding that post Emancipation Barbados has been characterised by a continuous effort on the part of Barbadians of African descent to devise and engage in strategies and processes to further their self- liberation.

The fight to secure equal rights, remove gender discrimination from laws, institutions and behavioural patterns, and to set legal standards that promote full equality continues.

Dyall added: “Emancipation is therefore not a historical artifact, nor is it is an abstract concept! And the NCF’s hope is that this project has therefore been consciously constructed as an informative, impactful and attractive tool that is designed to highlight and demonstrate that truism.”

The eight-minute video was recorded by murals and monuments across the island including two murals at the African Heritage Foundation by Paul “Ras Simba” Rock and former students of the St. Michael School Kayla Clarke, Chinua Yearwood and Christopher Cox.

To view the video feel free to log on to NCFBarbados on YouTube and Facebook or thencfBarbados on Instagram the NCF’s social media or click this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFpGx-OEnpU (PR)