Singer and entrepreneur, Rihanna has been awarded a national honor by her homeland, Barbados, as she has been made a National Hero as the Caribbean country celebrated as an official republic state.
Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley surprised the invited guests when she disclosed her government had recommended the celebrity to be made a member of the Order of National Heroes.
Declaring Rihanna as a National Hero of Barbados, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said to the international celebrity: “May you continue to shine like a diamond and bring honor to your nation by your words, by your actions, and to do credit wherever you shall go”.
Being one the first acts of the Prime Minister of the new republic, Ms. Mottley stated that the artist commanded “the imagination of the world through the pursuit of excellence with her creativity, her discipline, and above all else, her extraordinary commitment to the land of her birth”.
Rihanna, who flew to Barbados for the event, felt over elated as she was praised by Ms. Mottley, who quoted the singer’s own lyrics.
Rihanna’s latest recognition makes her the 11th Barbadian to have ever been honored as a national hero. The only other living person to have received the same award is iconic cricketer, Garfield Sobers, who was also present at the ceremony.
In 2018, Rihanna was named as “Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary” for Barbados, a role that involves promoting education, tourism, and investment on the Caribbean Island, which is home to nearly 300,000 people. A year earlier, a Barbados street she once lived has renamed ‘Rihanna Drive’ in her honor.
Barbados Break From Colonial Rule
Rihanna, who grew up on the Barbados island, witnessed the historic ceremony that broke Barbados’s centuries-old ties with the British monarchy and the swearing-in of its first President, Sandra Mason, ending Queen Elizabeth’s role as head of state.
During the ceremony, applause rang out in National Heroes Square in the capital, Bridgetown, when Ms. Mason was sworn in by Chief Justice Marston Gibson and was announced as “Her Excellency Dame Sandra Prunella Mason, President of Barbados”, according to some reports.
Present at the ceremony was the Prince of Wales, Charles Philip Arthur George. The Prince of Wales represented the UK at the open-air ceremony to deliver a speech. In his speech, he warmly acknowledged the guests and noted that he will always consider himself a friend of Barbados.
The Prince of Wales also listed the ways he will “remain deeply committed to this very special country”, highlighting the ongoing efforts of his Prince’s Trust International charity in supporting Barbados’s young people and his work with their government on issues like climate change.
The culture, history, and achievements of Barbados were celebrated with music, dance, and spoken word during the ceremony.
It is worth noting that several poets and activists criticized the colonial past of the island nation and called for it to embrace the opportunities of becoming a republic.
Poet Cyndi Celeste summed up the celebration when she said: “Today, after successive governments have tried and failed to rekindle the flame, we finally raised the flag of a nation no longer clinging to colonial coat tails for its identity.
“And maybe, we’ve been so focused on searching for the problems that we do not recognize the opportunities we have been given… shedding the vestiges of a monarchy means we get to denounce the moniker of ‘little England’ and vest the powers of the state in every Barbadian citizen”.
Poet Cyndi
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