The History Forum

By, Dr. Tara Inniss, Department of History and Philosophy, Cave Hill Campus How can Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison become a Creative City? The key to the success of Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison is Entrepreneurship and Creative Thinking through culture and heritage. Entrepreneurship has historically been a central unifying activity within Bridgetown. The creativity and ingenuity required for our enslaved ancestors “to make a way out of no way”, suggests that entrepreneurship and creativity are not unknown competencies for Barbadians. It would be fitting and necessary in the preservation and enhancement of Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison’s legacy for us to challenge ourselves to think of the many contributions we can make in the same spirit as those who have gone before. Revitalizing Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison as a Creative City will require several inputs that require policy development and planning. The process will also need public-private sect...

By, Dr. Tara A. Inniss Department of History and Philosophy, Cave Hill Campus, UWI What is a Creative City? Creative cities are urban centres that inspire creative thinking among the people who live and work in them. People bring creative thinking to life and they become the human capital of a city’s economy. In 2001 (a decade before Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage property) The United Nations Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, stated ‘We welcome the economic role of cities and towns in our globalizing world and the progress made in forging public-private partnerships and strengthening small enterprises and micro-enterprises. Cities and towns hold the potential to maximise the benefits and to offset the negative consequences of globalization. Well-managed cities can provide an economic environment capable of generating employment opportunities, as well as offering a diversity of goods and servic...

Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison – A Creative City By, Dr. Tara Inniss Department of History and Philosophy, Cave Hill Campus, UWI Barbados’ pursuit of World Heritage status for several of its outstanding cultural and natural heritage sites, including Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, has not only been to earn foreign exchange or diversify our tourism product, the Government of Barbados also recognizes that our tangible and intangible culture and heritage will help to root the nation in the shifting notions of identity in a post-colonial and globalising world. In terms of our development goals, heritage policy and programmes will also help us to come to terms with some of the more challenging parts of our history, while also binding us to the most ingenious and creative parts of it as well.   When Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison obtained World Heritage status in June, 2011, it was a tremendous achievement for Barbados and the Caribbean. It was the firs...

Street Performance and Performance in the Street By, Dr. Tara Inniss, Department of History and Philosophy , Cave Hill Campus, UWI William Shakespeare once wrote, “All the world’s a stage.” Well, Bridgetown was certainly a stage. The streetscape was a creative space in which informal performances were an important part of the entertainment scene in Bridgetown. Street performers were a common sight in Bridgetown with visitors often reporting the musical talents of Barbadians who used improvised instruments to make music and sing.  Many Barbadian popular Barbadian musicians can trace their origins to Bridgetown. Jackie Opel (1938-1970) was born in Chapman Lane and spent much of his time as a youth in the Nelson Street area listening to jazz ad his idol, Jackie Wilson. He later went on to develop the popular Barbadian artform, Spouge, which was heavily influenced by calypso and ska. Together with the Troubadours, they made spouge famous throughout the region. On March 9, 1...

By, Tara A. Inniss Carnegie Library Barbadians have always placed a great value on education and literacy. At the height of English settlement of the Americas in the 17 th and 18 th centuries, Barbados was at the centre of a vibrant book trade between England and its American colonies. In 1777, a Literary Society was established in Barbados (located in Literary Row near to St. Mary’s Church). In 1814, a Library Association was established in 1814. Like those established in Britain at the same time, these were private organisations and meeting places for learned Barbadians who were members. In 1847, an Act was passed to establish a “Public Library and Museum in this Island” which was three years before the first public libraries legislation in Britain. The Public Library was first located in nearby Codd’s House and was endowed with the Literary Society’s and Library Association’s collections. In 1874, the Public Library was moved to the Public (Parliament) Buildings. In...